What An Investigation Just Revealed About This Prince Charles Charity Scandal

In September, Michael Fawcett, a top aide to Prince Charles and head of The Prince's Foundation, stepped down after it was discovered that he helped a Saudi businessman obtain an honorary title in exchange for donations to The Prince's Foundation, per CNN. The Prince's Foundation charity organization was first established by Prince Charles in 1986. According to the foundation's website, Prince Charles' charity organization focuses on championing sustainability through education and international projects. "During the last decade the impact of natural resource depletion, climate change and rapid urbanization has become evident and widely understood," The Prince's Foundation's mission statement reads. "The work of The Prince's Foundation is inspired by the belief that only by taking a holistic view can we create a sustainable future to meet the needs of our world."

The allegations that Fawcett accepted donations to The Prince's Foundation in exchange for personal favors to Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz were first published by the Mail on Sunday, along with a letter from Fawcett to Mahfouz's aide sent in August 2018. "In light of the ongoing and most recent generosity of His Excellency ... I am happy to confirm to you, in confidence, that we are willing and happy to support and contribute to the application for Citizenship," the letter read. Shortly after these findings were published, a Scottish regulator announced that they were officially launching an investigation into The Prince's Foundation, according to CNN.

In addition to findings that revealed an illegal exchange between The Prince's Foundation and Saudi businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, an investigation into Prince Charles' charity organization also found that top aide Michael Fawcett used illegal "fixers," or seedy middlemen, to secure "honorary nominations" for a donor between 2014 and 2018, according to People. It was also discovered that a $132,000 donation to The Prince's Foundation from Russian banker Dmitry Leus (via the Mahfouz Foundation) was rejected by the charity organization's committee after it was discovered that Mahfouz's prior dealings with the foundation were less than reputable.

Trustees of the charity's board, along with The Prince's Foundation's namesake, Prince Charles, claim that they were unaware of Fawcett's work with the fixers to secure donations to the charity organization. "The Prince of Wales is grateful to independent auditors for reviewing procedures at the Prince's Foundation, who are today announcing a series of findings. It is important to His Royal Highness that the charities which bear his name operate to the highest standards, in accordance with rules established by charity regulators," a spokesperson for Clarence House said. "We are taking this opportunity to reinforce guidance to these charities, particularly in respect of their relationships with supporters."