LONDON – Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, faced renewed scrutiny over the funding of his charities on Saturday after a report showed one had accepted donated 1 million pounds ($1.21 million) from the family of Osama bin Laden.
As first reported by The Sunday Times of LondonThe Prince of Wales Foundation received donations in 2013 from brothers Bakr and Shafiq bin Laden, half-brothers of Osama bin Laden, founder of Al Qaeda and architect master of the 9/11 attacks.
News of the payment follows a series of recent royal scandals, including a report in June that Prince Charles received $3.1 million in cash from a Qatari billionaire between 2011 and 2015some of which were received personally in a suitcase and shopping bag.
The Bin Ladens are a powerful Saudi family whose multinational construction business and close ties to the Saudi royal family have made them extremely wealthy. However, there is no suggestion that Bakr or Shafiq bin Laden financed, assisted or participated in any acts of terrorism. And the family stripped Osama bin Laden in 1994 when Saudi Arabia stripped him of his citizenship because of his extremist activities.
On Saturday, Clarence House, the prince’s official office and residence, confirmed that the bin Laden brothers had given the money to the royal charity but denied reports that Prince Charles had given the money to the royal charity. broker the deal or make the acceptance decision yourself.
“The Prince of Wales’ charity has assured us that due diligence has been carried out upon accepting this donation,” reads a statement released by Clarence House.
“The decision to accept was made by the trustees of the charity alone and any attempt to describe it otherwise is untrue,” the statement added.
But The Sunday Times reported that Prince Charles brokered the payment after a private meeting with Bakr bin Laden at Clarence House in London on October 30, 2013, two years after Osama bin Laden was killed. in Pakistan.
The newspaper also reported that the heir to the throne had agreed to accept the donation despite the harsh objections of his own advisers.
A royal official, not authorized to speak publicly, denied the prince accepted the donation, negotiated a deal or was advised to return the money.
The Sunday Times reports that some of the prince’s aides warned Charles of the inevitable failure to learn that his charity had received money from the family of the man who orchestrated the terrorist attack. killed nearly 3,000 people, including 67 British.
Founded in 1979, the Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation says its mission is to “transform lives and build sustainable communities by giving grants to a wide range of good causes across themes”. Our core funding: heritage and conservation, education, health and well-being, social inclusion, environment and countryside. “
