Prince Charles is in hot water once again. One of his aides is resigning in disgrace what looks like a pay-to-play scandal. Here’s what’s going on.
Prince Charles’ Aide Accused In Cash For Honors Scheme
Michael Fawcett served the royal family for over 40 years. He started out as a footman for Queen Elizabeth and worked himself up to become the head of The Prince’s Foundation. He served as the prince’s valet for years and was considered one of Charles’ closest aides.
In a shocking report from The Sunday Times, Fawcett stands accused of using his position to help enterprising people obtain royal honors. Specifically, he helped Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, a Saudi businessman, obtain an honorary CBE, the highest honor a non-Commonwealth citizen can receive. Mahfouz made considerable donations to Charles’ charitable causes and was conferred the honor in 2016.
Mahfouz and Fawcett appeared to have communicated extensively. Fawcett’s already stepped aside from his role at The Prince’s Foundation over the allegations. Back in 2003, he resigned from his role after getting accused of selling royal gifts for profit. Fawcett was later cleared of those charges, but it wasn’t completely above board.
Did Prince Charles Know?
This pay-to-play scandal begs the question: did Charles know this was going on? A spokesperson said, “The Prince of Wales has no knowledge of the alleged offer of honors or British citizenship on the basis of donation to his charities and fully supports the investigation now underway by The Prince’s Foundation.” It’s indisputable that Charles knows about Fawcett, but he denies any knowledge of the issue at hand.
Scandals Piling Up For The British Royal Family
This is just one of the mounting scandals ailing the royal family. A palace source told Harper’s Bazaar: “This could potentially be very damaging for the Prince of Wales. There are most definitely concerns about how serious this could get.”
The royal family’s under fire for numerous issues. Reports have come out about Queen Elizabeth blocking a law so she could hide her actual wealth from the public, a charge the palace denies. Prince Andrew is still embroiled in his pedophilia scandal and has not been super cooperative with the police. Critics have noted a double standard, with the family eager to investigate bullying claims against Meghan Markle, but reticent to examine Andrew’s far more serious crimes.
Only time will tell what effect, if any, this bay-for-honors scandal has on Charles and the royal family. You shouldn’t expect him to step down or anything like that, but this is all a pretty bad look for the heir apparent.