Tag: Prince Charles

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Report alleges Charles accepted 1 mn pound donation from Bin Laden’s family

“The decision to accept was taken by the charity’s trustees alone and any attempt to characterize it otherwise is false,” the statement added…reports Asian Lite News

UK’s Prince Charles, the longest-serving heir apparent to the throne in British history, accepted a donation of 1 million pounds (USD 1.21 million) from the family of Osama bin Laden IN 2013.

As first reported by The Sunday Times of London, The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund received the donation in 2013 from the brothers Bakr and Shafiq bin Laden, half-brothers of Osama bin Laden, the founder of Al Qaeda and architect of the September 11 attacks, quoted The New York Times (NYT). Clarence House confirmed that the terrorist’s brothers donated money to the royal charity, but denied reports that the prince had personally brokered the deal or made the decision to accept it.

“The Prince of Wales’ Charitable Fund has assured us that thorough due diligence was undertaken in accepting this donation,” read a statement released by Clarence House.

“The decision to accept was taken by the charity’s trustees alone and any attempt to characterize it otherwise is false,” the statement added.

News of the payment follows a series of recent royal scandals, including a report in June that Prince Charles had accepted USD 3.1 million in cash donations from a Qatari billionaire between 2011 and 2015, some of which was received personally in a suitcase and shopping bags, reported NYT.

The UK paper reported that Prince Charles had brokered the payment after a private meeting with Bakr bin Laden at Clarence House in London on October 30, 2013, two years after Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan.

The paper also reported that the heir to the throne had agreed to accept the donation despite the vocal objections of his own advisers, reported NYT.

Some of the prince’s aides had warned Charles of the inevitable blowback should it become known that his charity had accepted money from the family of the man who orchestrated the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, including 67 Britons.

A royal official, unauthorized to speak publicly, denied that the prince accepted the donation, negotiated the deal or was advised to return the money, reported NYT.

Founded in 1979, The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund says that its mission is “to transform lives and build sustainable communities by awarding grants to a wide range of good causes within our core funding themes: heritage and conservation, education, health and well-being, social inclusion, environment and countryside.” (ANI)

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‘Prince Charles got suitcase of cash from Qatar for charity’

Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends CHOGM 2022. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson accompanied by his wife Carrie attend a State Dinner hosted by HRH Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall on the first official day of CHOGM 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

On another, the paper reports the cash was contained in carrier bags from the famous London department store Fortnum and Mason…reports Asian Lite News

Prince Charles, the heir to Britain’s throne, allegedly accepted a suitcase full of cash as a charitable donation from the former Prime Minister of Qatar, according to a UK media report on Sunday.

The Sunday Times’ says the suitcase was one of three bundles of cash given as charitable donations which the 73-year-old received from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani.

The three lots, which reportedly totalled Euro 3 million, were handed to the prince personally between 2011 and 2015. Each payment was reportedly deposited into the accounts of the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF), a low-profile grant-making entity which funds projects close to the royal’s heart and his country estate in Scotland. There is no suggestion the payments were illegal, the newspaper said.

“Charitable donations received from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim 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,” Prince Charles’ Clarence House office said in a statement.

The newspaper claims that on one occasion the money was handed over in a holdall at a meeting at Clarence House. On another, the paper reports the cash was contained in carrier bags from the famous London department store Fortnum and Mason.

“At a few hours’ notice from The Sunday Times’, we have checked into this event in the past, and confirm that the previous trustees of PWCF discussed the governance and donor relationship, (confirming 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, PWCF chairman Sir Ian Cheshire was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

“The donation was made in cash and that was the donor’s choice,” he said.

The PWCF has the stated aim of transforming lives and building sustainable communities, by awarding grants to good causes in fields such as conservation, education, health and social inclusion.

‘The Sunday Times’ said Sheikh Hamad’s lawyers declined to comment.

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Boris steps back from row with Prince Charles over Rwanda  

“A lot of people can see its obvious merits. So yeah, of course, if I am seeing the prince tomorrow, of course I am going to make that point,” Johnson told reporters in Kigali…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved away from a confrontation with Prince Charles over the government’s immigration deal with Rwanda after his spokesman said the matter would not likely be raised in talks with the heir to the throne.

Under an agreement struck between London and Kigali, Britain will send tens of thousands of migrants who arrive on its shores illegally more than 4,000 miles (6,4000 km) to the East African country.

British newspapers have reported that Charles had privately criticised the plans, which have also drawn an outcry from political opponents and human rights groups, while the first planned deportation flight was blocked by an injunction from the European Court of Human Rights.

Earlier on Thursday Johnson, who like Charles is attending a Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Rwanda, had said he would raise the issue with the prince, saying “critics need to keep an open mind about the policy”.

“A lot of people can see its obvious merits. So yeah, of course, if I am seeing the prince tomorrow, of course I am going to make that point,” Johnson told reporters in Kigali.

Asked if he would he defend it if Charles were to raise it, Johnson said: “Yes, it hasn’t come up so far, of course.”

However, his spokesman later said Johnson was unlikely to raise the matter.

“It is not something that the prime minister is focused on at the start of this summit,” he said.

According to the media reports, Charles said he was more than disappointed at the government’s Rwandan plan, which he described as “appalling”.

His office Clarence House has previously said it would make no comment on the “supposed anonymous private conversations”, merely stating the prince remained politically neutral and that policy matters were for the government.

It likewise declined comment on Johnson’s remarks.

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Prince Charles steps in to deliver Queen’s Speech

Charles opened the Speech, which is prepared by the government of the day, with a focus on the priority issue of addressing the cost-of-living crisis…reports Asian Lite News

In what is seen as a defining moment for the British monarchy, Prince Charles stepped in to deliver the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday to mark the ceremonial state opening of the UK’s new Parliament session.

The speech, which sets the government’s legislative agenda for the year ahead, is traditionally delivered by the monarch. But with 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II experiencing some mobility issues, her 73-year-old son and heir was deputed to read out the agenda to a gathering of members of Parliament and peers of the House of Lords.

The Queen, who missed the event for the first time in nearly 60 years, reportedly watched proceedings on a television from her Windsor Castle residence.

Before now, the Queen has only missed the opening of Parliament twice during her time on the throne in 1959 and 1963 when she was pregnant.

The ceremony, however, was adjusted to highlight that the Queen is still very much in charge, as reflected in the presence of the imperial crown placed on a seat next to Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

He was accompanied by wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and son Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, at the Palace of Westminster.

Charles opened the Speech, which is prepared by the government of the day, with a focus on the priority issue of addressing the cost-of-living crisis.

“Her Majesty’s government will level up opportunity in all parts of the country and support more people into work,” he said.

This year’s Speech contained 38 bills and draft bills, covering subjects including energy security, carbon emissions and post-Brexit economic arrangements.

“Her Majesty’s government will continue to champion international trade, delivering jobs across the country and growing the economy. Legislation will be introduced to enable the implementation of the United Kingdom’s first new Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) since leaving the European Union,” the Speech read, with reference to FTAs clinched with Australia and New Zealand.

One bill also proposes tougher penalties for protest groups, like Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion, which use disruptive tactics. MPs and peers will now spend several days debating the contents of the Queen’s Speech in Parliament.

While British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that the government could not “shield everyone” from the effect of global inflation, the Opposition Labour Party said the Conservatives were “not up to the task of growing the economy”.

The Liberal Democrats added that the Queen’s Speech “does nothing to help the millions of families and pensioners facing soaring bills and eye watering inflation”.

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Police launch probe into Prince Charles charity

The head of The Prince’s Foundation resigned last year after an internal investigation into the allegations…reports Asian Lite News

Police have launched an investigation into Prince Charles’s charitable foundation over claims of a cash-for-honours scandal involving a businessman from Middle East.

“The decision follows an assessment of a September 2021 letter. This related to media reporting alleging offers of help were made to secure honours and citizenship for a foreign national,” Scotland Yard said in a statement on Wednesday, delivering another blow to the royal family.

There have been no arrests or interviews under caution, police added.

The head of The Prince’s Foundation resigned last year after an internal investigation into the allegations.

Michael Fawcett, chief executive of the foundation, had initially agreed to suspend his duties following newspaper revelations about his links to a foreign national.

The man had donated large sums to restoration projects of particular interest to Charles. Fawcett, a former valet to the Prince of Wales who has been close to Queen Elizabeth II’s heir for decades, is alleged to have coordinated efforts to grant a royal honour and even UK citizenship to the foreign national.

The royal family is already reeling following Prince Andrew’s decision on Tuesday to settle a sexual abuse claim out of court, a scandal that has so far overshadowed Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Charles’s foundation, which helps jobless people get back into work and start small businesses, said it took the claims “very seriously”.

The Charities Commission, which registers and oversees charities in England and Wales, said in November it had opened a formal probe into donations received by the foreign national’s charitable trust which were intended for the prince’s foundation.

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Prince Charles isolates after positive Covid-19 test

Britain’s Press Association news agency reported that Charles recently met with his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, but the monarch was not displaying any symptoms…reports Asian Lite News

Prince Charles has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating, his office has said.

A message on his official Twitter page said Charles tested positive on Thursday morning and was “deeply disappointed” not to be able to attend a scheduled visit in the city of Winchester in southern England.

Charles, 73, met dozens of people during a large reception at London’s British Museum on Wednesday evening. He was accompanied by his wife Camilla, and was in close contact with Britain’s Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, among others.

Charles’ office, Clarence House, confirmed that he is triple vaccinated. It was not immediately clear what his condition was.

Charles previously contracted the coronavirus in March 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic. Officials said he had mild COVID-19 symptoms then, and Charles said later that he and Camilla isolated in Scotland at the time.

Britain’s Press Association news agency reported that Charles recently met with his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, but the monarch was not displaying any symptoms.

The queen, 95, marked her Platinum Jubilee on Sunday by expressing her wish for Camilla to be known as Queen Consort when Charles becomes king.

Camilla carried on with her engagements as scheduled on Thursday, visiting a sexual assault referral centre in London.

Spain’s King Felipe VI, 54, and Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, 81, also tested positive for the coronavirus this week.

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Prince Charles leads tribute to Queen  

A smiling portrait of the queen, surrounded by the royal coat of arms and her year of accession 1952 to the present year 2022 marks the Platinum Jubilee on the pieces…reports Asian Lite News

Britain’s Prince Charles led tributes to his mother, Queen Elizabeth, on the 70-year anniversary of her accession to the throne on Sunday, saying it was an opportunity for the country to unite and celebrate her service to the nation.

Charles also thanked the queen for her statement on Saturday that she hoped the heir to the throne’s wife, Camilla, would become Queen Consort when he becomes king.

“We are deeply conscious of the honour represented by my mother’s wish,” he said in a statement. “As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout.

“The year of this unprecedented Platinum Jubilee brings an opportunity for us all to come together in celebrating the service of The Queen, by whose example we will continue to be led in the years to come.”

Typo on souvenir raises eyebrows

A spelling mistake on the souvenirs manufactured to mark Queen Elizabeth II‘s 70th year of accession to the British throne has grabbed attention. The error has been printed on thousands of commemorative tea sets, mugs and decorative plates, reported the BBC.

A smiling portrait of the queen, surrounded by the royal coat of arms and her year of accession 1952 to the present year 2022 marks the Platinum Jubilee on the pieces.

However, instead of “To Commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II” the plaque reads “To Commemorate the Platinum Jubbly of Queen Elizabeth II”.

The pieces were produced at a factory in Changzhou in China, as per The Sun report. Wholesale Clearance UK agreed to buy the pieces, which have been advertised as “Queens Platinum Jubliee (Jubbly) Souvenir Stock with Slight Typo Mistake”.

Karl Baxter, the Clearance website boss, was quoted as saying by the BBC that he will pitch them as collectors’ items “in classic Del Boy-style”. “What could be more unique than our limited-edition misprinted crockery?” he said.

The 10,800 items have been offered for 32,400 pounds instead of 323,892 pounds with a 90 per cent discount. Interestingly, the Wholesale Clearance UK website has brought a sitcom connection for the sale. “Become an Only Fools and Horses fan and wow your friends with your Lovely Jubbly set!” the website says.

The royal.uk website states that the queen will become the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. She took to the throne on February 6, 1952, at the age of 25.

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Queen wants Prince Charles’ wife to be known as ‘Queen consort’

Charles has always been adamant his “darling wife” should receive the title, The Times reported citing a source, with a spokesperson for the couple saying Saturday they were “touched and honoured” by the news…reports Asian Lite News

Queen Elizabeth II has announced that she wants Camilla, the wife of her heir Prince Charles, to ultimately be known as Queen Consort, as she became the first British monarch to reign for seven decades Sunday.

The 95-year-old said she hoped her daughter-in-law will be known as Queen Consort when Charles accedes to the throne, in a remarkable journey to public acceptance for Camilla after being vilified for her role in the break-up of Charles’ marriage to Princess Diana.

Addressing the nation in a written statement on the eve of the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne, the Queen said that when Charles becomes monarch she hoped the British people would give him and Camilla “the same support that you have given me”.

Charles and Camilla, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, had a highly publicised relationship that ended their previous marriages and there had been doubts over whether the public would accept her.

They married in 2005, with a royal announcement that Camilla would become known as Princess Consort due to the sensitivity of the issue, but she gradually won plaudits as the future king’s loyal wife.

Charles has always been adamant his “darling wife” should receive the title, The Times reported citing a source, with a spokesperson for the couple saying Saturday they were “touched and honoured” by the news.

Tireless service

Britain’s Sunday newspapers swiftly put the story on their front pages.

“Camilla WILL become Queen,” wrote the Daily Mail, while The Sunday Times said “Queen anoints Queen Camilla”, saying the move ended “years of controversy and confusion over Camilla’s future title”.

The announcement came as Elizabeth II began her Platinum Jubilee in subdued fashion at Sandringham in eastern England, the 20,000-acre (8,100-hectare) estate near the north Norfolk coast which is close to her heart.

Four days of festivities are planned for early June, coinciding with the anniversary of her 1953 coronation, including a military parade and music concert, street parties, a nationwide “Big Jubilee Lunch” and a “Platinum Pudding Competition”.

On Monday, there will be ceremonial gun salutes in London’s Green Park, close to Buckingham Palace, and at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland — traditionally not held at weekends.

Britain’s longest-serving monarch acceded to the throne aged 25 on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father King George VI.

During her reign, she has remained a constant through periods of huge social and political upheaval — a living link to Britain’s post-war and imperial past.

In September 2015, she surpassed Queen Victoria’s 63 years and seven months on the throne and, despite some health concerns over the past year, has appeared determined to continue her record-breaking reign.

Speaking in parliament this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday was “a moment of national celebration” while noting it was “a day of mixed emotions for Her Majesty”.

After husband Philip’s death in April last year, the Queen returned to public and official engagements, including hosting world leaders at the G7 summit.

She was forced to slow down on advice from doctors, however, after an overnight hospital stay in October sparked public concern.

Since then, she has largely stayed at Windsor Castle and made few public appearances.

But on Saturday, the Queen held a reception for locals at Sandringham, reportedly her largest in-person public engagement since the autumn health scare.

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Prince Charles to deliver opening address at COP26

Charles, 72, who will be with his wife Camilla, is to deliver opening remarks as he did at COP21 in Paris in 2015…reports Asian Lite News.

Heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles will speak at the opening ceremony of the COP26 United Nations climate summit on Monday to welcome world leaders, his office said, a day after Queen Elizabeth pulled out on doctors’ advice.

The 95-year-old queen is a draw for other world leaders so her withdrawal is a blow to the event in Glasgow.

Charles, 72, who will be with his wife Camilla, is to deliver opening remarks as he did at COP21 in Paris in 2015.

The queen, who was recently overheard saying she was irritated by world leaders who talked about climate change but did nothing to tackle it, had been due to attend an evening reception on Monday at the conference.

She will instead deliver a recorded message, the palace added.

Charles has spent most of his life campaigning on environmental issues and earlier this month said he shared the concerns of Greta Thunberg and other activists that politicians were all talk and not enough action.

He will also be joined at COP26 by his eldest son Prince William and his wife Kate, who have followed in the family footsteps by speaking out about green issues.

However, the queen herself, the world’s oldest and longest-reigning monarch, will continue to rest at her Windsor Castle home having stayed overnight in hospital last week for an unspecified but not Covid-19-related ailment.

She carried out her first official engagement since being in hospital on Tuesday, holding two virtual audiences to welcome new ambassadors to Britain from South Korea and Switzerland.

Britain has cast COP26, which begins on Oct. 31, as the last big chance to slow rising temperatures, and it hopes to persuade leaders to adopt tougher climate targets.

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Prince Charles to visit Jordan, Egypt

The tour comes after the heir to the UK throne visits Glasgow next week for the COP26 climate summit. It will end in Egypt, which will take over the UN climate presidency from Britain next year…reports Asian Lite News.

Britain’s Prince Charles and wife Camilla are to visit Jordan and Egypt next month on their first major foreign tour since the coronavirus pandemic began last year, aides said on Monday.

The royal couple’s November 16-19 visit will start in Jordan, a UK ally whose King Abdullah II has come under pressure over leaks about his offshore wealth and over an alleged coup plot.

The tour comes after the heir to the UK throne visits Glasgow next week for the COP26 climate summit. It will end in Egypt, which will take over the UN climate presidency from Britain next year.

“In this decisive decade for climate action, the next 12 months is therefore expected to see a significant cooperation between the UK and Egypt,” said Chris Fitzgerald, deputy private secretary to Prince Charles.

“Indeed, both visits will have a major focus on addressing the climate crisis,” he said.

In Cairo, Charles and Camilla are due to visit the top Sunni Islam cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Yayeb, grand imam of the Al-Azhar mosque and university.

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