bitchy | King Charles agreed to accept £4.5 million in ‘charitable donations’ from Qatar

It’s clear that King Charles authorized some – if not all – of the leaks about his cash-for-honours dramas. Charles was trying to get all of those scandals out there before he became king, and the leaks were released at a steady clip over the course of 2021 and 2022. There are ongoing police investigations which will not touch Charles whatsoever, and Michael Fawcett has been designated the fall guy for all of the bribery, fraud and tacky money-grabbing. When Charles became king, senior courtiers insisted that Charles would create more distance between himself and his royal foundation, although everything seems to be mired in secretive shenanigans still, to this day. Speaking of, the Mail on Sunday had this curious story about how Charles has “agreed to accept millions of pounds in donations from Qatar.” His agreement to take millions of pounds came after he held a secret in-person meeting with Qatari officials.

King Charles’s charitable foundation has agreed to accept millions of pounds in donations from Qatar, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The Prince’s Foundation will receive what is thought to be £4.5 million over the next three years under the deal with the World Cup hosts, according to sources. The charity is already mired in a ‘cash for honours’ scandal, which is the subject of a police investigation.

The new revelations will raise further concern over the running of the foundation, as Qatar faces widespread condemnation for its appalling human rights record. It comes after the King had said he would have far less time to be personally involved with the charity having ascended the throne.

But The Mail on Sunday can also reveal that the King made a secret visit in a blacked-out Range Rover to a Prince’s Foundation project at the Qatari-owned Chelsea Barracks in central London on Wednesday.

Taking what is said to be annual instalments of £1.5 million over the next three years from the Qataris can only raise further questions about the King’s charity and the way it is funded.

Qatar’s homophobic laws and discrimination against women have come under scrutiny in the run-up to the World Cup. The regime has also been blamed for the deaths of thousands of migrant workers who built the tournament’s stadiums. Prince William has chosen not to fly out to the matches of England and Wales in the tournament, despite being president of the Football Association.

Wednesday’s visit by the King to the Chelsea Barracks was not publicly acknowledged on the Court Circular, the official list of events undertaken by members of the Royal Family.

The King has launched a Highgrove Shop at the site, the funds from which go directly to the Prince’s Foundation, which has its headquarters in Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland. Previously, the money from the shops was funnelled into the Prince’s Fund – as separate charitable body associated with the King.

When approached by The Mail on Sunday about the visit, a Palace spokesperson said: ‘His Majesty The King made a brief visit to the Highgrove Christmas shop to meet some of the suppliers and craftspeople whose products are sold on behalf of The Prince’s Foundation, and other supporters.’

The secret visit to one of the shops in the Qatari development is likely to raise eyebrows because it suggests a continuing level of close personal involvement by the King. It had been thought that Charles would delegate his charitable duties, particularly at The Prince’s Foundation.

[From The Mail on Sunday]

“His Majesty The King made a brief visit to the Highgrove Christmas shop to meet some of the suppliers and craftspeople…” That sounds completely above-board, like a lovely event which would appear on the Court Circular, surely? The fact that Charles’s staff had the trip on a media blackout says that Charles was actually meeting with Qatari businessmen or officials in a “private capacity.” What is it with Charles and bags full of cash? He’s literally the king!! He has hundreds of millions of pounds at his disposal now. Even if one could argue that these are legitimate charitable donations and everything is legitimate, why the secrecy and why the furtive excuses? The palace coverup is what makes this look suspicious. That and Charles feeling the need to do this sh-t in person.

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