Prince Harry Could Be Questioned By Detectives In Prince Charles' Cash-For-Honors Scandal
Last week, it was announced that Prince Charles' charity, The Prince's Foundation, is being investigated by police over "claims of a cash-for-honors scandal" involving Saudi businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz.
Now, Prince Harry may be in the mix, as he allegedly met Mahfouz twice — once in 2013, where they discussed his charity Sentebale, and another time in 2014.
As the Metropolitan Police investigates, “their detectives could choose to question him [Harry] over what his concerns were, and who he told in 2015,” The Mirror reported.
According to the Daily Mail, in February 2013, Mahfouz donated 50,000 pounds to Harry's charity, and then later that year, he gave him 10,000 pounds to Walking with the Wounded, another charity that the prince is involved in.
“The Duke had one planned meeting with this donor eight years ago, did not introduce him to any members of the royal family, and expressed his concerns about the donor,” a spokesperson for Harry said.
“Prince Charles presented Mr. Mahfouz with his CBE in 2016,” royal commentator Peter Hunt said before the investigation was announced. “Did Prince Harry tell him about his concerns in 2015? Just one of the many questions the Metropolitan Police could ask father and son if they choose to investigate.”
When the scandal broke last year, the foundation's chief executive Michael Fawcett resigned, as it was revealed he had ties to Mahfouz.
In December 2021, Harry denied that he had anything to do with the scandal.
"It is disappointing that The Sunday Times, knowing all the facts, has chosen to encourage speculation by being deliberately vague to try to create a falsified link between the Duke of Sussex and the CBE scandal, of which he had no knowledge or involvement," the statement read after the newspaper reported that Harry's charity received private donations from Mahfouz in 2013.
"The Duke and his advisers, as well as his non-profit Sentebale, severed ties with Mr. Mahfouz and his associates in 2015, no longer accepting further donations to Sentebale and discontinuing any plans for a fundraising event amid growing concerns over the motives for his support," the statement continued. "The Duke had one planned meeting with this donor nearly eight years ago, did not introduce him to any members of the royal family, and expressed his concerns about the donor."
