Prince Charles, heir to the British Crown, has accepted a £1 million (about R$6.3 million) donation from the Bin Laden family for his foundation, according to the Sunday Times.
Several of its advisers have advised the foundation not to accept the donation from the wealthy family of the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Osama bin Laden, according to sources cited in the British newspaper article.
While members of the Saudi family who have disowned Osama Bin Laden are not suspected of any crime, this information adds to the attention surrounding Prince Charles’ foundation, which is the subject of a police investigation launched in February.
This investigation aims to determine whether donations to Prince Charles’ foundation were rewarded with honorary degrees and whether they were used to support a naturalization application by Saudi businessman Mahfuz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfuz.
The deal for the £1m donation by Saudi family patriarch Bakr Bin Laden (Osama Bin Laden’s halfbrother) and his brother Shafik dates back to 2013 during a meeting between Bakr Bin Laden and Prince Charles in London, according to the Sunday Times.
Ian Cheshire, president of the foundation, said the donation was accepted by all five trustees at the time.
The case, which Scotland Yard is investigating, was uncovered last year and weighed heavily on the 73yearold heir to the British throne.
His former chamberlain Michael Fawcett, known for his close relationship with Charles, is said to have used his influence to help Saudi businessman Bin Mahfuz, a generous donor to monarchylinked charities, win an award.
Mahfuz, who denies any wrongdoing, is said to have donated large sums of money to restoration projects.
Michael Fawcett resigned in November 2021.
Last November, Britain’s charities regulator launched an investigation into whether the wealthy Saudi businessman’s Mahfuz Foundation received donations destined for those of Prince Charles.
“The investigation will examine whether certain donations received by the Mahfuz Foundation were intended for the organization, whether they were used for the benefit of the donors and whether they should be returned,” the commission said at the time.
Established in 1986, the Prince Charles Foundation is not regulated by this commission but is dependent on the Scottish Charity Inspectorate.
The latter also initiated an investigation, but this time because of donations of several hundred thousand euros from a Russian donor.
The Bin Laden Group, Saudi Arabia’s largest construction empire founded by Osama bin Laden’s father in 1931, has been wealthy for decades thanks to its close ties to royalty. But now you’re in debt.