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Thursday, November 14, 2024  
11 Jumada Al-Awwal 1446  

Prince Charles in spotlight over cash suitcases from Qatari sheikh

Regulator to see if it has a role to play
The Prince of Wales shakes hands with Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim al Thani in Qatar in 2013.
The Prince of Wales shakes hands with Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim al Thani in Qatar in 2013.

A UK regulator is investigating an instance in which Prince Charles accepted one million euros in cash from a Qatari sheikh linked to al Qaeda.

There were three payments given to the Prince of Wales and their amount has come to more than 2.5 million pounds. Prince Charles gave the money to his charity. The charity watchdog is now going to examine the case, The Telegraph has reported.

“It is alleged that the cash was handed to Royal aides who counted out the now discontinued €500 notes, which were named the ‘bin Laden’ because of links to the funding of terrorism,” The Telegraph said.

“One former adviser who handled some of the cash said that ‘everyone felt very uncomfortable about the situation’.”

The Royal Family banks with the Private Coutts bank which collected the cash and deposited it into the accounts of the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund.

The ‘donations’ were made between 2011 and 2015 and were made by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani. He ruled Qatar as PM from 2007 to 2013.

A British newspaper, The Sunday Times, ran a story saying that the cash was at one point given in bags from the elite luxury brand Fortnum and Mason.

The sheikh is known as one of the world’s richest men. The 62-year-old was the name behind Qatar’s investment in London’s Harrods. However, he has been accused of terror financing to the Syrian side of al-Qaeda and of bribery and corruption in the 2022 World Cup bid.

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British Royal Family