Despite concerns expressed, he accepted millions from the bin Laden family.
Prince Charles has accepted a £1m donation from the half-brothers of terrorist Osama bin Laden. The money went to his charity, the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund, according to the British newspaper The Sunday Times.
The heir to the throne and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II met with Saudi entrepreneur and family patriarch Bakr bin Laden in October 2013 at his London residence, Clarence House. Several advisors recommended that the 73-year-old not accept or pay back the money. However, Charles ignored concerns that the donation could damage his reputation. He was also embarrassed to return the money.
“What reason is there to do that?”
“The fact that a senior member of the British establishment is doing business in the name and family of a man who not only set off alarm bells but terrified the whole world…why would you do that? What good reason to do that?” the paper quoted a source as saying.
There is no evidence that Bakr bin Laden and his brother Shafiq were involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States or that they support terrorism. Osama bin Laden was their mastermind. He was killed by US special forces in Pakistan on May 2, 2011.
Second report of donations within a short period of time
The head of Charles’ foundation, Ian Cheshire, told the “Sunday Times” when asked that all five trustees at the time had approved the donation. Another source stressed that the advisors were not dismayed by the payment and Charles did not “roar down” their concerns. The decision to accept the money rested solely with the trustees.
Just a few weeks ago, the “Sunday Times” reported on another donation to Charles that had reached him in a questionable way. Between 2011 and 2015, he accepted a total of three million euros in cash from former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jasim Al Thani. A million had been stowed in a suitcase and other amounts in shopping bags from a well-known luxury department store. The Prince’s Foundation confirmed the payments.
Prince Charles probably accepted suitcases of money from Qatar
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