New letters and emails have come to light showing how Prince Charles’ closest aide helped secure prestigious honours for a Saudi tycoon.
Michael Fawcett, for years a trusted ally of Prince Charles, resigned as chief executive of the Prince’s Foundation earlier this month amid allegations he helped fix a CBE and British citizenship for billionaire Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, who donated more than £1.5 million to royal charities.
The vast majority of the donations were spent renovating two of Charles’s Scottish properties, where parts of the grounds are named after Mahfouz bin Mahfouz.
According to some reports, he had paid thousands of pounds for fixers connected to the prince to secure an honour in exchange for his donations.
A letter was then sent by Dr Mahfouz to Mr Fawcett in 2017. It contained Charles’s aide stating that the Prince’s Foundation would be happy and willing to assist him.
Michael Fawcett was a long-standing friend and trusted confidant of Prince Charles. (pictured in 2019 together) He resigned earlier this month as the Prince’s Foundation’s chief executive.
One of Britain’s most generous benefactors is Dr Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz.
Mr Fawcett (pictured) allegedly helped fix a CBE and British citizenship for billionaire Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, who donated more than £1.5 million to royal charities
It said: ‘In light of the ongoing and most recent generosity of His Excellency Sheikh Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, I am happy to confirm to you, in confidence, that we are willing and happy to support and contribute to the application for citizenship.
‘I can further confirm we are willing to make an application to increase His Excellency’s honour from Honorary CBE to that of KBE in accordance with Her Majesty’s Honours Committee.’
It is believed that an independent report has been prepared on the scandal of ‘cash-for-honours’ and the findings will soon be made available to trustees at the Prince’s Foundation.
This comes as police are under increasing pressure to investigate the allegation.
The Times reports that new emails and letters are being discovered to support the allegations.
Many pages of evidence show that Prince Charles’ advisers met at Clarence House in London with Mahfouz bin Mahfouz to plan a way of granting him an honor.
These documents reveal that Prince Charles’ advisers met at Clarence House in London with Dr Mahfouz’s paid fixers.
This meeting had the purpose of establishing a plan for Dr Mahfouz to receive an honor.
Charles’ advisors agreed to money. Dr Mahfouz’s fixers stated that’more money will flow once he is awarded an honor.
The evidence has accumulated to the tune of hundreds of pages. It shows that Prince Charles’s advisors met in London at Clarence House with Mahfouz Bin Mahfouz to devise a plan for how to honor him.
However, Fawcett explained to those present that Dr Mahfouz had been recommended not be nominated directly by him due to the fact the Royal Family controlling the honours system.
The prince’s assistants were to contact Dame Lynne Bridley, who was then the master at Pembroke College in Oxford. She had received millions in Dr Mahfouz donations.
She would be asked to nominate Dr Mahfouz, but Mr Fawcett would supervise her and still send her the letter.
Once he had been made aware by Dame Lynne’s mail, Mr Fawcett was likely to send his support.
The plot is said to have been agreed upon by Dame Lynne.
William Bortrick, a paid advisor to Dr Mahfouz, alleged last month that Prince Charles was ‘100 per cent’ behind an offer to help the tycoon.
Clarence House maintained that Prince Charles did not know of any alleged offers of honors or citizenship.
In 2016, Dr Mahfouz was presented with his CBE in a private ceremony held at Clarence House.
The ceremony took years to create, according to a paper trail.
Lynne says Dr Mahfouz is the reason she chose him to be her nominee. [Pembroke College] and his ongoing interest in, and support for, its educational and research activity’.
She said she “acted in good faith” and “for good reasons”, rejecting claims that she was acting under others’ direction.
The Prince of Wales personally handed an honorary knighthood to Dr Mahfouz during the taxpayer-funded trip to the Middle East, the event was not mentioned in the 774-word Court Circular descriptions of the future King’s activities.
Images of the investiture were only made public by Mr Jamel on his own website.
Norman Baker, a former minister, stated in September that he was writing today to Cressida Dixon, Metropolitan Police Commissioner. He wanted her to investigate the possible violation of the 1925 Honours Act.
This act has been used only once, and that was in 1933.
Forensic accountants were brought in as part of an independent investigation after the Mail on Sunday revealed that the Prince’s Foundation’s chief executive Michael Fawcett had written the letter to Dr Mahfouz.
Dr Bin Mahfouz stated previously that he has not had any direct or personal contact to make arrangements for citizenship or knighthood with Michael Fawcett (or anyone associated to HRH The Prince of Wales, The Prince’s Foundation).