The office of Prince Charles has denied any wrongdoing, after reports that the British royal accepted bags of cash for his charity. The money was said to be a donation from a Qatari politician.
Prince Charles' office did not deny that the prince had received bags of cash from a former Qatari politicianImage: Anthony Devlin/empics/picture alliance
Advertisement
Following reports of Prince Charles taking €3 million ($3.17 million) in cash from a former Qatari prime minister, the UK royal's office has said the donations "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."
The statement denied any wrongdoing on the part of the 73-year-old prince.
What are the allegations?
British newspaper The Sunday Times reported that Prince Charles had received the money from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former Qatari prime minister. Hamad oversaw Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, which has major property investments in the United Kingdom.
The paper reported that the money was handed over to Prince Charles during private meetings between 2011 and 2015. There was no suggestion that the payments were illegal, according to the report.
The Sunday Times also said the money was deposited into the accounts of the Prince of Wales's Charitable fund.
Top scandals involving British royals
Fans of the British royal family are also in love with their scandals. Prince Harry and Meghan's interview is one recent case, but there have been many preceding it.
Image: Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese/REUTERS
A model for Harry and Meghan?
Their love moved the world: King Edward VIII was unable to marry the divorced American Wallis Simpson because he was the head of the Anglican Church and so decided to step down from the throne after only 326 days. The couple did get married, on June 3, 1937 at the Cande castle in France. The scandal rocked the royal household.
Image: The Print Collector/Heritage-Images/picture alliance / Heritage-Images
Princess Margaret's divorce
Queen Elizabeth's youngest sister was one of the most glamorous members of the royal family: She loved parties, alcohol and had affairs. She had two children with her husband, the Earl of Snowdon. The couple separated in March 1976, making Margaret the first royal to divorce — after Henry VIII in the 16th century.
Image: Dalmas/AFP/Getty Images
Snapshots from married life
Not everyone believes that the riding teacher James Hewitt was Lady Diana's first extra-marital lover. There is another rumor that she had an affair with her bodyguard, Barry Mannakee in the 1980s. When Prince Charles confessed to having cheated on her, Lady Diana also admitted having a relationship with Hewitt. Could he be Prince Harry's biological father?
Image: Camera Press/ZUMA Wire/imago images
Charles and the tampon affair
Prince Charles is shown here leading his second wife Camilla Parker Bowles to the altar. His first marriage with Lady Diana had failed. Their fights exposed intimate secrets, including a flirty telephone conversation between Charles and Camilla, which became known as "Tampongate," as it revealed one of the prince's most cringeworthy fantasies.
Image: UPI Photo/imago images
The Queen's silence
A year after her official divorce from Prince Charles, Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed died in a car crash, leaving Britain in shock. Yet it took a long time for the Queen to react with a word of sympathy. Her silence was met with huge criticism; every fourth Brit advocated the abolition of the monarchy. Only days later did the royals reach out to the grieving people.
Image: Dave Chancellor/Zumapress/IMAGO
'Harry the Nazi'
Drugs, alcohol and parties earned the prince the nickname, "Dirty Harry." Once, he also managed to get caught stark naked at a Las Vegas party by the tabloids. And a picture of the 20-year-old royal dressed as Nazi officer Erwin Rommel, complete with the swastika, was lapped up by the press.
Image: Kay Nietfeld/dpa/picture-alliance
Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein
Could Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth's second son and the ex-husband of Sarah Ferguson, be involved in sex scandals related to Jeffrey Epstein? The American investment banker is believed to have run a sex-trafficking operation with minor girls. Epstein committed suicide before his trial began.
Image: Steve Parsons/empics/picture alliance
The bombshell
Around 50 million people watched Oprah Winfrey's interview with Prince Harry and Meghan. The two revealed serious allegations against the British royal family and also accused them of being racist. When Meghan was pregnant with her son Archie, she said there were "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he is born."
Image: Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese/REUTERS
The Queen breaks her silence
In the meantime, Buckingham palace has said that the Queen is taking the accusations of racism "very seriously." In a statement issued on her behalf, the palace announced that the royal family was "saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan," adding that the accusations by Meghan and Harry would be dealt with privately.
Image: Steve Parsons/AP/picture alliance
9 images1 | 9
What did officials say?
The prince's charitable fund said that "the donor was a legitimate and verified counterparty and our auditors signed off on the donation after a specific enquiry during the audit. There was no failure of governance.''
