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The Prince of Wales accepted a payment of one million pounds ($1.2 million) from the family of Osama bin Laden, the Sunday Times reported.
He added that Prince Charles accepted money from two of Osama bin Laden’s half-brothers in 2013, two years following the al Qaeda leader was eliminated. The donation was received by the Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation (PWCF).
According to Clarence House, the British heir’s office, PWCF assured them that “thorough due diligence” had been carried out, and that the decision to accept the money rested with the trustees. “Any attempt to characterize it in any other way is false,” they assured the BBC.
Clarence House has also disputed some of the points made in the article.
Bin Laden was disowned by his family in 1994, and there is no evidence that his half-brothers had any links to his activities.
According to the article, Prince Charles accepted the money from Bakr bin Laden, who heads the wealthy Saudi family, and his brother Shafiq, following a meeting with Bakr at Clarence House.
The heir to the British throne accepted the money over advisers’ objections of Clarence House and PWCF, assures the “Sunday Times”, which cites multiple sources.
However, Ian Cheshire, president of the PWCF, told the newspaper that the 2013 donation was agreed upon and “prudently considered” by five administrators at that moment.
“Due diligence was carried out, with information from a wide range of sources, including the government,” Cheshire added. “The decision to accept the donation was made entirely by administrators. Any attempt to suggest otherwise is misleading and inaccurate.”
The PWCF awards grants to UK registered non-profit organizations to carry out projects in the UK, the Commonwealth and other third countries.
Osama bin Laden topped America’s “Most Wanted” list. He is believed to have ordered the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001, which killed almost 3,000 people, including 67 Britons.
He was killed in an operation by US forces in 2011.
A PWCF source told the BBC that “although the name [Bin Laden] It has a very sad history, the sins of the father should not fall on the rest of the family, which is eminent in the region.” This same source added that the donation had been approved by the British Foreign Office.
image source, CNN via Getty Images
Osama bin Laden was disowned by his family nearly 20 years following the donation was made.
Is It is not the first time that Prince Charles or your charity have been vetted for your donations.
Last month it was reported that the prince accepted a suitcase containing a million euros in cash ($1.02 million) from a former Qatari prime minister, one of three donations, all in cash, totaling regarding $3 million.
Clarence House then said that the sheikh’s donations were immediately given to one of the prince’s charities, and that all the correct processes were followed. Later, the official body that regulates NGOs in the UK decided not to investigate the donation.
In February, British police opened an investigation into allegations that the prince’s foundation had helped a Saudi citizen to obtain an award.
Clarence House said the prince “had no knowledge of the alleged offer of decorations or British citizenship in return for donations to his charities.”
Analysis
From Jonny Dymond, BBC Royal Correspondent.
No rule has been broken, nor any law. All the necessary controls were carried out and the Foreign Ministry was even asked to give its opinion: it authorized the donation.
So why is it front page news?
A source from the Prince Charles Foundation told the BBC that “the sins of the father” (Osama bin Laden) should not prevent other members of the family from making a donation. Which makes sense.
But did Prince Charles or his inner circle really think it was a good idea to accept money from the bin Ladens? Or did they think it was fine as long as it was never made public?
Because, once it was public, no matter how many checks were done and if the rules were followed, it was always going to look awful.
The same as the huge cash donation from a former Qatari prime minister, or the letter from the friend and aide of Prince Charles who promised a knighthood to a Saudi citizen who had made significant donations.
The ministers and deputies are governed, following all, by the ballot box. The position and authority of the Royal Family comes from a different place, from an established acceptance by the public that they generally bring credit to the country.
Does a donation from Bin Laden fit into this model of monarchy, no matter how far removed it is from the evil of a disowned son?
image source, Getty Images
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