Charles of England received in hand more than three million euros from a Qatari sheikh | International

Charles of England (73 years old) received in hand several bags full of money – up to three million euros – from the Qatari sheikh and former prime minister of that country, Hamad bin Jassim, according to the exclusive account of the newspaper The Sunday Times. The deliveries occurred on at least three occasions, during private meetings between the two men, who have maintained a close friendship for years. In a suitcase, in a sports bag, and even in bags from Fortnum & Mason, the exclusive gourmet store in London that exclusively supplies the royal house. One of the meetings, in 2015, took place at the residence and administrative headquarters of the Prince of Wales, Clarence House. The newspaper itself has wanted to emphasize that there is no illegality in these contributions of money, although the image offered does not help the popularity of Prince Charles. The heir to the throne is carrying out, especially since the pandemic, a strategy of gradual recovery of his public image, in which he assumes more and more of the acts that his mother, Elizabeth II (96 years old), cannot carry out for his health, increasingly delicate.

“[El dinero] contributed during the meetings was immediately transferred to one of the charities chaired by the prince, who carried out the corresponding contracts and ensured that proper procedure was followed at all times, ”Clarence House said in a statement. Each of the payments went to the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund (PWCF). There is no indication that the sheikh sought any kind of favor or compensation in return for his input.

The news, however, is a new questioning of the activities and good judgment of the man destined to be the next Head of State of the United Kingdom. The London Metropolitan Police has decided to investigate the alleged scheme that Charles of England had underway – “money in exchange for titles” – to distribute honors among the donors of his activities. The butler who chose every morning for Charles of England even the suit and shirt he was going to wear, Michael Fawcett, was forced to resign last September from his position as executive director of the prince’s foundation, while an investigation clarifies whether he interceded on behalf of his boss to bestow honours, and even British nationality, on Saudi billionaire businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz.

The Qatari sheikh, known by the acronym HBJ, is one of the world’s greatest fortunes, and much of his money has gone to establishing his presence in London. He has made considerable investments in emblematic buildings such as The Shard skyscraper, Harrods department store, or the Park Lane Intercontinental Hotel. He is also the owner of the French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

HBJ and Prince Charles have been in a relationship for several decades. In 2010, the heir, known for his notable hostility to contemporary architecture, managed to convince the Qatari, then Prime Minister of his country, to back down on an urban redesign project in the London neighborhood of Chelsea. The Candy brothers, well-known real estate developers of luxury homes in the British capital, sued Qatar for almost 20 million euros and accused HBJ of having obeyed the wishes of Charles of England.

The legal administrators of the prince’s foundation have confirmed the donations from the Qatari, and assure that “the relationship between the management and the donor was discussed [confirmando que era un donante legítimo y verificado]. “The auditors gave their approval after the checks. There was no breach of the administration rules,” they added. They justify the exchange of these large sums, simply because the Sheikh decided that he preferred to give the money in cash, and in hand, to his friend, the Prince of Wales.

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