prince charles
According to a UK media report, Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, reportedly accepted a suitcase full of cash from the former Prime Minister of Qatar as a charitable donation.
‘The Sunday Times’ says the suitcase was one of three bundles donated as a charitable donation received from 73-year-old Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani.
Three lots were reportedly handed over to the prince personally between 2011 and 2015, totaling €3 million. Each payment was reportedly deposited into the accounts of the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund (PWCF), a low-profile grant-making body. Fund projects close to the heart of the Royal and their country estate in Scotland. The newspaper said there was no suggestion that the payment was illegal.
Prince Charles’ Clarence House office said in a statement: “The charitable donation received from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim was immediately passed on to a charity of the Prince, who exercised proper governance and assured us that all correct procedures were followed. “
The newspaper claims that money was once handed over in a holdall at a Clarence House meeting. On another, the paper reports the cash was contained in a carrier bag from the famous London department store Fortnum & Mason.
“At a few hours’ notice from ‘The Sunday Times’, we have investigated this incident in the past, and confirmed that past trustees of PWCF discussed governance and the donor relationship, (confirming that the donor is a legitimate and Verified counterparty.) and our auditors signed the donation after a specific check during the audit. There was no failure of governance,” PWCF chairman Sir Ian Cheshire was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
“The donation was made in cash and that was the choice of the donor,” he said.
PWCF aims to transform lives and build sustainable communities by giving grants to good causes in areas such as conservation, education, health and social inclusion.
The Sunday Times said Sheikh Hamad’s lawyers declined to comment.