A report indicates that Prince Charles was to receive from a high-ranking Qatari official a bag containing 2.6 million pounds (3 million euros) in cash. The crown prince says the money could have been donated immediately to one of the prince’s charities.
The donation was reportedly made by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, the former Prime Minister of the State of Qatar. The heir to the British throne would have been given tote bags from Fortnum & Mason, a luxury store that provides Clarence House, the prince’s home.
The transfers are said to have taken place after meetings between the two men, including a one-on-one private meeting at Clarence House in 2015. Prince Charles and the sheikh are said to have known each other for several decades already.
Sheikh Hamad ‘The Man Who Bought London’
In a statement, a Clarence House spokesperson immediately said the money donated in 2015 was “immediately directed to one of the Prince’s charities. [sur les comptes du Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF), ndlr]who assured us that all processes were respected.”
The money was counted manually, and then handed over to Coutts, the royal family’s private bank. Without evidence that this transfer was done illegally, the Sunday Times identifies. The 2015 donation would have been made in cash at Donor Choice.
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani is currently considered one of the richest men in the world. He earned the nickname “The Man Who Bought London” after he made huge investments there, including the purchase of Harrods and Intercontinental London Park Lane.
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