20 July 2022

Charity Commission not investigating large cash donation to Charles’s charity

20 July 2022

The Charity Commission has ruled out investigating a large cash donation to a charity of the Prince of Wales.

The watchdog said it has looked at the information and has decided against intervening following allegations Charles was reportedly given three million euros by a former Qatari prime minister.

The heir to the throne faced criticism after being presented with the cash – said to include a suitcase full of 500 euro notes – from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim between 2011 and 2015.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall (Chris Jackson/PA) (PA Wire)

The Sunday Times said Charles personally accepted the donations for his charity the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF) from Sheikh Hamad who was prime minister of Qatar between 2007 and 2013.

A royal source insisted last month that the future king operates on advice and such incidents have not happened in the past half decade and would not happen again.

A Charity Commission spokeswoman said on Wednesday: “We have assessed the information provided by the charity and have determined there is no further regulatory role for the Commission.”

Clarence House said the donations were “passed immediately” to one of the prince’s charities and that “appropriate governance” was carried out.

The Prince of Wales (Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA) (PA Wire)

“Charitable donations received from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim were passed immediately to one of the prince’s charities who carried out the appropriate governance and have assured us that all the correct processes were followed,” a statement said.

According to the Sunday Times, a donation of one million euros was handed over during one meeting at the prince’s residence, Clarence House.

The charity, which was founded in 1979 with a mission to transform lives and build sustainable communities, awards grants to UK registered non-profit organisations to deliver projects in the UK, the Commonwealth and overseas.

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