Prince Charles' charity accepted millions from Osama bin Laden's family

Clarence House has confirmed the terrorist's brothers donated money to the royal charity, but denied reports the prince allegedly personally negotiated the deal or made the decision to accept it.

LONDON — Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, has come under renewed scrutiny fundraising for his charities on Saturday after a report emerged that an organization had accepted a 1 million pound ($1.21 million) donation from Osama bin Laden's family.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">As first reported by The Sunday Times of London, the Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund received the donation in 2013 from brothers Bakr and Shafiq bin Laden, half-brothers of Osama bin Laden, founder of Al-Qaeda and architect of the 9/11 attacks.

Fa payment news it follows a series of recent royal scandals, including a report in June that Prince Charles accepted $3.1 million in cash donations from a Qatari billionaire between 2011 and 2015, some of which was received personally in a suitcase and shopping bags.

The bin Ladens are a powerful Saudi family, including the multinational construction company and close ties to the Saudi royal family made them extremely wealthy. However, there is no indication that Bakr or Shafiq bin Laden sponsored, supported or participated in any acts of terrorism. And the family disowned Osama bin Laden in 1994 when Saudi Arabia stripped him of his citizenship because of his extremist activities.

Saturday, Clarence House, the official office and the Prince's Residence, confirmed that the bin Laden brothers had donated the money to the royal charity, but disputed reports that Prince Charles brokered the deal or personally made the decision to accept it.

“The Prince of Wales' Charitable Fund has assured us that due diligence has been undertaken in accepting this donation,” read a statement released by Clarence House.

"The decision to accept was made by the trustees of the charity alone and any attempt to characterize it otherwise is false," adds the release.

But the Sunday Times reported that Prince Char les had negotiated payment after a private meeting with Bakr bin Laden at Clarence House in London on October 30, 2013, two years after Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan.

The newspaper also reported that the heir to the throne had agreed to accept the donation despite vocal objections from his own advisers.

A royal official, unauthorized to speak publicly, denied that the prince accepted the donation, brokered the deal or was advised to return the money.< /p>

The Sunday Times reported that some aides to the prince had warned Charles of the inevitable backlash if he learned his charity had accepted money from the family of the man who orchestrated the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people , including 67 Britons.

Founded in 1979, the Prince of Wales' Charitable Fund claims that Its mission is to "transform lives and build sustainable communities by awarding grants to a wide range of good causes within our core funding themes: Legacy and Conservation, Education, Health and Wellness, Social Inclusion , environment and countryside.”