Arab News

LONDON: The heir to the British throne Prince Charles said on Sunday donations in cash to his charities from the former prime minister of Qatar followed all “correct processes.”

Following reports in UK media that the Prince of Wales accepted a suitcase of cash as a charitable donation from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani, Clarence House issued a statement.

“Charitable donations received from Sheikh bin Jassim were passed immediately to one of the prince’s charities, who carried out the appropriate governance and have assured us that all the correct processes were followed,” it said.

The Sunday Times reported that three bundles of cash were given as charitable donations from Sheikh Hamad to the Prince of Wales.

The three lots, which totaled €3 million ($3.16 million), were handed to the prince personally between 2011 and 2015, the paper reported.

According to the report, Sheikh Hamad, 62, presented the prince with €1m packed into carrier bags from the luxury department store Fortnum & Mason.

The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF) received the payments, according to the report, including an entity that bankrolls the prince’s private projects and his country estate in Scotland.

The British royal family’s guidelines do not outline rules for cash donations. However, members of the royal family can accept a cheque as a patron of, or on behalf of, the charities with which they are associated.