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While I wait for my friends to arrive, I'll discuss a royal scandal that has been quietly emerging. The word "quietly" here carries strong connotation, indicating that something serious is happening outside of the spotlight. The UK Charity Commission has disqualified trustees and recovered thousands of pounds from two foundations after investigating allegations that donations intended for charities linked to King Charles had been misdirected.
Essentially, money meant for charities related to King Charles was not going where it was supposed to. Where did this misdirected money go? We would like to know, but unfortunately this is not the first time allegations of "cash for honors" have emerged involving the King. The commission banned a trustee of the Mah Foundation and two Trustees of the Burkis Page Foundation for 12 years from senior positions in the sector after finding misconduct and mismanagement at both charities. The regulator recovered £13,000 of misapplied charitable funds from the Burkis Page Foundation and nearly £50,000 from the Mah Foundation.
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At the same time, a separate investigation into the King's Foundation in Scotland by the Scottish charity regulator OSCR is ongoing. It is being examined that donations to a charity in the Middle East directly linked to the King were not used to further its stated charitable purposes. The conclusion was that the charity trustees used its bank account to transfer funds on behalf of third parties, not to promote their charitable goals as they claimed. Donations included deposits into the charity's bank account that donors believed were being made directly to the King's Foundation, registered in Scotland.
The inquiry also found that £200,000 in donations intended for the King's Foundation were instead transferred from the charity's bank account to a trustee's private company bank account. It's disturbing to see so much money being misdirected. The inquiry also required repayment of £50,000 by the trustees. As previously reported, the Mah Foundation was removed. Angela Croft, critical case lead at the commission, said the trustees' actions in this case demonstrated "scant regard" for the charity's purposes, allowing it to be used as a "hub" to misdirect funds elsewhere.
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Previously, The Times newspaper published allegations that these foundations, supposedly linked to the Prince, were part of efforts to gain British citizenship as an honor in exchange for donations. The investigation alleged that Michael Fawcett, then-CEO of The Prince's Foundation, coordinated such an honors-for-donations exchange. He temporarily stepped down from his position after the "cash for honors" scandal directly involving the King emerged. It's interesting to note the investigation into Charles was ultimately closed without finding any wrongdoing by Fawcett or the King.
However, it's possible Charles had at least awareness of the misdirected funds, even if he wasn't directly involved. Why do they keep insisting on this when they have so much money already? The King received a £45 million salary increase. Why this desperate need for additional money through questionable means? The amounts are a drop in the bucket compared to what they already possess.
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Could new distractions created around Harry and Meghan be deliberately intended to draw attention away from these investigations? I also recall past suspicions around Prince Andrew and the Australian billionaire. Why do royal family members insist on this type of questionable behavior when they already enjoy immense wealth and privilege? I want to believe King Charles is truly removed from it all, but these quiet scandals keep emerging.
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