A close confidant and long-time aide to Prince Charles has officially resigned from his position after being accused of participating in one of the biggest scandals to hit the British royal family in recent memory. Michael Fawcett, who began his career in the Firm working as a footman for Queen Elizabeth, had risen through the ranks to become the chief executive of The Prince’s Foundation. Now his illustrious, decades-long career with the royal family has seemingly come to a disgraceful, suspicion-riddled end.
Prince Charles’ Longtime Aide Officially Out
Months after a report accused Prince Charles’ former valet and close confidant of participating in a cash-for-honors scheme, Michael Fawcett has officially resigned from his post as the head of The Prince’s Foundation. Fawcett faced allegations that he’d facilitated donations made to the charity in return for meetings with Charles as well as honors that bestowed British citizenship upon its recipients.
As a result of the report, an investigation into the organization has been launched, with which both Prince Charles as well as The Prince’s Foundation are cooperating. When the scandal first broke, Charles’ spokesperson said in a statement, “The Prince of Wales has no knowledge of the alleged offer of honours or British citizenship on the basis of donation to his charities and fully supports the investigation now underway by The Prince’s Foundation.”
A spokesperson for the foundations said in a new statement to People about this latest development, “Michael Fawcett has resigned from his post as CEO of The Prince’s Foundation.” Equally no-nonsense was the statement from a Clarence House spokesperson, who represents Charles. “Michael Fawcett and Premier Mode will not be providing services to us in the future. We have all agreed to end these arrangements,” the statement read.
More Details On ‘Cash For Honors’ Scheme
Fawcett had originally stepped down temporarily after the allegations first surfaced in a series of British newspaper articles. Portions of a letter Fawcett sent to an aide to Saudi businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz were published in the Mail On Sunday and reportedly read, “In light of the ongoing and most recent generosity of His Excellency … I am happy to confirm to you, in confidence, that we are willing and happy to support and contribute to the application for Citizenship.”
The Daily Mail broke the story of Fawcett’s permanent resignation and quoted an alleged friend of his who insisted his departure from the organization “was his decision and his decision alone, and he is not pre-empting anything that may or may not be found.”
As the investigation into the allegations is still ongoing, there has been no confirmation that the accusations against Fawcett are true. We will be keeping a close eye on this latest royal scandal and will update as more information becomes available.