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Prince Charles’ long-time aide Michael Fawcett has resigned as head of the prince’s charity amid allegations he used his position to help a Saudi billionaire receive a “visa d ‘gold”.
Saudi billionaire Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz reportedly paid tens of thousands of dollars to earn the title of Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [CBE], one of the highest honors for non-British citizens, according to a Sunday Times report.
Fawcett was paid to coordinate the title and help Mahfouz receive a “golden visa”, through which he hoped to gain citizenship and residency in the UK, according to the report.
The prince personally presented the prize to Mahfouz in a private ceremony in 2016 at Buckingham Palace. The ceremony was not published on the official list of royal engagements, according to the Times.
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Michael Fawcett (left) accompanies Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales as they attend the Prince’s Countryside Fund Race Day at Ascot Racecourse on November 23, 2018 in Ascot, England .
(Photo by Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty Images)
Mahfouz – who denies any wrongdoing – was one of the biggest donors to the prince’s charities, and even has a forest named after him, having donated more than $ 2 million to help restoration projects in the domains of the prince, among other charities.
The Saudi claims he is an “honorable philanthropist”.
Leaked emails obtained by The Times name Fawcett as an intermediary and explicitly show that the donations were in exchange for the OBE prize.
An email between a paid Mahfouz advisor and William Bortrick, owner of Burke’s Peerage publication, states that the prize has been “promised to MBM [Mahfouz Bin Mahfouz] to get the £ 1.5million he paid for Dumfries [House] and [The Castle of] Mey, ”two of the Prince’s plans, according to the Times.
Bortrick added “MF [Michael Fawcett] must abide by his agreement and resolve the matter with the Honorable OBE immediately; then help with citizenship. “
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Prince Charles is the first to take the British throne.
(Getty Images)
Fawcett was able to arrange a meeting between the prince and Mahfouz which led to his prize.
Fawcett has helped run the Prince Foundation for most of the past decade, the Times reported, and has been described as an “indispensable” assistant by the Duke of Wales.
In 2003, the royal assistant resigned from Charles’s service following allegations of mismanagement.
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The Prince Foundation is an umbrella organization for several charities and educational projects and opportunities centered on the historic estate of Dumfries House in Scotland.
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