The Prince of Wales accepted a £1million donation from the family of Osama bin Laden.
According to the Sunday Times, The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, 73, have accepted a £1million payment from Bakr Bin Laden, the patriarch of the wealthy Saudi family, and his brother Shafiq, who are both half-brothers of the former Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.
Clarence House strongly claims that the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF) have received donation which taken solely by trustees.
Reports also revealed that on October 30, 2013 a private meeting was held between Charles and Bakr at Clarence House in London after killing of Osama bin Laden by US special forces in Pakistan. Charles accepted the donation despite the objections of advisers at Clarence House and the PWCF. Clarence House disputed many of the claims and Sir Ian Cheshire, chairman of PWCF, said the donation was agreed “wholly” by the five trustees at the time.
Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF) was founded in 1979 with a mission to transform lives and build sustainable communities, awards grants to UK-registered non-profit organisations to deliver projects in the UK, Commonwealth and overseas.
Clarence House said:
“The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund has assured us that thorough due diligence was undertaken in accepting this donation. The decision to accept was taken by the charity’s trustees alone and any attempt to characterise it otherwise is false.”
PWCF chairman, Sir Ian said:
“The donation from Sheik Bakr bin Laden in 2013 was carefully considered by PWCF trustees at the time. Due diligence was conducted, with information sought from a wide range of sources, including government. The decision to accept the donation was taken wholly by the trustees. Any attempt to suggest otherwise is misleading and inaccurate.”
The Metropolitan Police began an investigation into an alleged cash-for-honours scandal in February, after Charles and his former close confidant, Michael Fawcett, were reported over the claims.
Mr Fawcett was accused of promising to help secure a knighthood and British citizenship for a Saudi billionaire donor to another of Charles’s charities, The Prince’s Foundation.
Clarence House said the prince had “no knowledge” of the alleged cash-for-honours scandal.
