Police scrap probe into King Charles's charity but protesters slam decision as 'appalling'
Media reports said Michael Fawcett, then chief-executive of Charles' charity, offered a Saudi donor an honour for cash
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Police have said they will take no further action in investigating allegations against King Charles’ charity, with protestors slamming the decision as “appalling”.
The Metropolitan Police started a probe of the Prince’s Foundation in February, after the charity was blasted for an alleged cash-for-honours scandal.
However, now the investigation has been dropped by the force, with anti-monarchy protest group Republic describing the move as “appalling”.
An investigation conducted by the Sunday Times published in 2021, reported that Michael Fawcett, then chief-executive of the charity, offered a Saudi donor an honour for cash.
Charles was reportedly not spoken to by the police
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Fawcett was accused of promising to help Saudi billionaire Mahfouz Marei bin Mahfouz get an honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE).
The charity’s ex-chief executive, and one of the King’s closest aides, resigned after the allegations surfaced.
The force said on Monday that “after careful consideration of the information received as a result of the investigation to date, the Met has concluded that no further action will be taken in this matter.”
Their statement concludes the investigation into allegations of offences under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925.
Two men had been interviewed and over 200 documents were monitored during the police’s investigation.
No one had been arrested or charged over the course of the inquiry.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said they had noted the Met’s decision, but all other enquiries were to be dealt with the Prince’s Foundation.
The Prince’s Foundation commented that they too had noted the police’s verdict and stated that “the charity is moving forward with a continued focus on delivering the education and training programs for which it has been established”.
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Michael Fawcett, one of the King's closest aides, in 2004
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Mahfouz, who received an honorary CBE in 2016, has no suggestions of wrongdoing against him.
The King was not spoken to by police about the situation, it is understood.
A spokesperson for Charles said he had “no knowledge of the alleged offer of honours or British citizenship on the basis of donation to his charities,” when the investigation began in February.
Republic, the protest group left outraged at the force’s decision, made a formal complaint to the Met about Charles and Fawcett in September 2021.