Commonwealth Games: Prince Charles delivers Queen's speech

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The Prince of Wales’ charity allegedly accepted the massive donation from the family of the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. The Sunday Times reported that The Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation (PWCF) received the money from Bakr bin Laden and his half brother Shafiq.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal expert, said the incident was “embarrassing” for the family, adding: “The decision by the Trustees of his Charitable Foundation to accept £1 million from the bin Laden family in 2013, though not in any way illegal, is undoubtedly unwise.

“The name is obviously toxic because of its association with the terrorist mastermind of 9/11, Osama bin Laden, despite the family’s disowning him decades ago.”

The Sunday Times claimed that Prince Charles met Bakr bin Laden, 72, privately at Clarence House in London on October 30, 2013.

There is no suggestion that either Bakr or Shafiq bin Laden has sponsored or been involved with any acts of terrorism.

The two are related to Osama bin Laden through their father, Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden.

Osama bin Laden was killed during a US special forces raid in Pakistan.
He was the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks that tragically killed 2,996 people, and injured thousands more as hijacked planes plummeted into the World Trade Centre.

A Clarence House spokeswoman said: “The Prince of Wales’ Charitable Fund has assured us that thorough due diligence was undertaken in accepting this donation.

“The decision to accept was taken by the charity’s Trustees alone and any attempt to characterise it otherwise is false.”

According to Sir Ian Cheshire, the chairman of PWCF, the donation was agreed “wholly” by the five trustees of the charity at that time.

Mr Cheshire said: “The donation from Sheik Bakr Bin Laden in 2013 was carefully considered by PWCF Trustees at the time. Due diligence was conducted, with information sought from a wide range of sources, including government.

“The decision to accept the donation was taken wholly by the Trustees. Any attempt to suggest otherwise is misleading and inaccurate.”

Prince Charles has no official role within PWCF and a spokesperson for the Prince said that all of his charities “operate independently of the prince himself in relation to all decisions around fundraising”.

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Richard Fitzwilliams added: “Coming shortly after the revelation about his acceptance of large cash sums from the former Prime Minister of Qatar, between 2011 and 2015, which was perfectly legitimate but unconventional, it is nonetheless embarrassing.”

Despite the backlash, Prince Charles has been known to make many donations to charities over the years, with Richard saying his “charitable endeavours have been one of the most remarkable by any individual anywhere”.

He said: “As he takes on more royal duties from The Queen, there is ever more interest in his conduct and his activities.”

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