Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, accepted in 2013 a donation of one million pounds –1.2 million euros, at today's exchange rate– for his charities for the family of the Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden, as reported by this Sunday The Sunday Times.
According to the British newspaper, the future king received the money from Bakr bin Laden, the current patriarch of the wealthy Saudi family, and his brother Shafiq, both half-brothers on Osama's father's side.
The founder of Al Qaeda was executed in 2011 in Pakistan in a US military operation, after being accused of the September 11, 2001 attacks in that country, which caused 2,996 deaths and more than 25,000 injuries.
The Sunday Times of The Times specifies that there are no indications that the half-brothers were linked to the activities of the Islamist leader, whose father, the millionaire of Yemeni origin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden, died in a plane crash in 1967.
According to The Sunday Times, Carlos, 73, met Bakr, 76, at his Clarence House palace in London on October 30, 2013, two years after Osama bin Laden's death.
The heir accepted the donation despite the express advice of several advisers, who warned him that "it would not be good for anyone" and could damage his reputation. According to the British media, the prince thought that rejecting it would be embarrassing for the Saudi businessman.
The money was deposited, through the Coutts monarchy bank, in the account of the Prince of Wales Charity Fund (PWCF, for its acronym in English), which distributes grants to British non-profit organizations, explains the newspaper, which points out that the board of this Fund formally accepted it a posteriori.
In a statement, Ian Cheshire, president of the PWCF, has assured that "Bakr bin Laden's donation in 2013 was carefully considered" and agreed upon by the five trustees at the time, although, according to The Sunday Times, at least one expressed his Doubts.
"Due diligence was carried out, with information from a wide range of sources, including the Government. The decision to accept the donation was made by the trustees. Any attempt to suggest otherwise is misleading and inaccurate," Cheshire states.
These trustees were Amelia Fawcett, a senior executive who currently chairs London's famed Kew Botanic Gardens; Michael Rake, former chairman of BT; John Varley, former CEO of Barclays; academic Kenneth Wilson; and William Nye, then Charles's chief private secretary.
A Clarence House spokesperson Clarence House has stressed that "the decision to accept (the gift) was made by the trustees alone and any attempt to characterize it otherwise is false." "The Prince of Wales Charitable Fund has assured us that extensive due diligence was carried out before accepting the donation," they add.
These revelations come after the same newspaper reported in June that the prince received between 2011 and 2015 three batches of cash worth 3 million euros from the former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani.
The British Commission for the supervision of charities decided on the 20th not to investigate this donation. Police are, however, investigating allegations that Charles's former aide, Michael Fawcett, promised titles and citizenship to a Saudi tycoon in return for a financial contribution to another Charles' charity, the Prince's Foundation.
Clarence House maintains that Carlos, who is increasingly assuming more functions as head of state due to the advanced age of Elizabeth II, "had no knowledge" of these exchanges.
