Scotland Yard May Quiz Prince Charles in Cash-for-Honours Probe as New Royal Scandal Looms

The Met is investigating claims that a Saudi billionaire donor had been offered a knighthood and UK citizenship in exchange for donations to Prince Charles' foundation. The probe was launched a day after Charles' brother, Prince Andrew, reached an out-of-court settlement with a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.

Prince Charles could be quizzed by London's Metropolitan (Met) Police as a witness in a cash-for-honours investigation launched by Scotland Yard, The Mirror has reported.

The newspaper quoted an unnamed source close to Charles as saying that the Prince of Wales is willing to speak to the Met to help the inquiry.

"There has been no request for help from the police so far, but if he is asked to help, he will of course do so", the source stated.

The remarks come after Scotland Yard said on Wednesday that they had launched an investigation into The Prince's Foundation, Charles' charitable body, over allegations that a Saudi billionaire donor had been offered a knighthood and UK citizenship in exchange for donations to the charity.

"The Metropolitan Police Service has launched an investigation into allegations of offences under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925", Scotland Yard said in a statement.

They added that the decision follows an assessment of a September 2021 letter related to "media reporting alleging offers of help were made to secure honours and citizenship for a Saudi national".

"Officers liaised with The Prince's Foundation about the findings of an independent investigation into fundraising ­practices. The foundation provided a number of relevant documents. These were reviewed alongside existing information. The assessment determined an investigation will commence. There have been no arrests or interviews under caution", the statement pointed out.

A Clarence House spokesperson, in turn, said that the Prince of Wales "had no knowledge of the alleged offer of honours or British citizenship on the basis of donation to his charities", while a representative of The Prince's Foundation noted that "it would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation".

CEO of The Prince's Foundation and Charles' close aide Michael Fawcett stepped down in October 2021 amid claims that he had promised to help Saudi donor Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz secure a Commander of the Order of the British Empire award and British citizenship.

Law enforcement officers are investigating allegations of Mahfouz donating £1.5 million ($2.03 million) for restoration projects, which purportedly were of particular interest to Prince Charles.

The charity asserted that Fawcett had supported and would assist the Met's investigation. In 2021, the foundation reportedly ordered an independent probe, which found that Fawcett coordinated with "fixers" in order to secure a cash-for-honours deal for Mahfouz.

The Met probe into a foundation run by the heir to the UK throne was announced shortly after his brother Andrew settled out of court a civil sex abuse case with Virginia Giuffre, an Australian-American woman who accused the Duke of York of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. Queen Elizabeth II's second son is expected to pay more than £12 million ($16 million) to his accuser as part of the settlement deal, with reports claiming that the money will be partially provided by the UK monarch.