THE ROYAL BAGMAN: Prince Charles was given over $3M in cash by Qatar's ex PM Hamad bin Jassim
Prince Charles has accepted bags worth millions during his meetings with Qatar's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, according to reports. The report claims that $3.2 million was given to the Prince in a suitcase on one occasion, in a holdall on another, and even in Fortnum & Mason carrier bags, the same department store that holds the royal warrant to supply the Prince's household with groceries.
When did this exchange take place? According to The Sunday Times, it took place during their meetings from the period 2011 to 2015, and even during a personal meeting at the Clarence House in 2015. The report further claims that the money was not used for Prince Charles' personal use, but for charity, stating that the money was "passed immediately to one of the prince’s charities who carried out the appropriate covenants and assured us that all the correct processes were followed." The report further claims that the huge sum of money was hand-counted by two of Charles' advisors, and Clarence House, the private bank in charge of the royal family, was asked to collect the cash.
RELATED ARTICLES
Royal expert says Queen 'fading away before our very eyes' as SHOCKING photo released
UNREPENTANT Prince Andrew wants his titles back, FURIOUS with Prince Charles and William for snubs
It's said that every payment that Hamad bin Jassim made to the Prince was deposited right away into the accounts of the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF). It's also said that there is no indication that the payments made were illegal. However, there is no proof that the Sheikh intended this money to go to charity and does not indicate a clear intention. The report said that HBJ was unavailable to comment on this. However, a royal source close to CNN claims that while they do not deny the charitable donations made by Qatar's former Prime Minister, they do find some mistakes in the Sunday Times report and claim that their lawyers are involved.
The donation intensifies the spotlight on PWCF once again
The funds were received by PWCF which claims that the money was used to "transform lives and build sustainable communities" by awarding grants to fields like conservation, education, health, and social inclusion. It's mentioned in the report that the fund had mentioned that its donor was legitimate and that its auditors had signed off the donation as legit. The news of this questionable donation puts Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund under scrutiny once again. Recently, it was alleged that one of the donations made to Prince's charities helped a Saudi donor secure a UK honor and citizenship.
Earlier this year, the UK Police launched an investigation into the claims about the Prince's foundation under the Honors (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. On their part, the foundation has extended its full compliance and support to aid the investigation, whereas the Prince has claimed that he was not even remotely aware of such donation. To make matters more interesting, Prince's former valet and chief executive of the foundation, Michael Fawcett resigned in November last year as the police started to begin their investigation. It was soon claimed that he was one of the 'fixers' over an honorary CBE for businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz.
Prince Charles' association with former PM of Qatar
Prince Charles' relationship with the controversial former PM of Qatar goes way back to 2010 when the heir to the British throne was rumored to have lobbied Hamad the $3 billion redevelopments of London’s Chelsea Barracks. Hamad is one of the richest people in the world, owning one of the richest football clubs - Paris Saint-Germain, which isn't a major feat for someone like him. He was also dubbed as "the man who bought London" after he exercised his influence and money on the Qatari Wealth Fund to make investments in London. Some of these investments included Shard, Harrods, and the InterContinental London Park Lane.