Talk about a royal embarrassment.
One of Prince Charles’ former top aides has stepped down from the royal’s charity following allegations he took part in a cash-for-honors scheme.
The Prince’s Foundation, which oversees many of the royal’s charitable efforts, said Friday that Michael Fawcett, the heir’s longest-serving and closest aide prior to the reported scandal, will no longer serve as head of the charity, CNN reports.
Fawcett, who joined the royal service in 1981 and previously served as Charles’ assistant valet, departed his role at the charity in early September amid claims he accepted donations from Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz in exchange for helping the Saudi businessman to obtain British citizenship as well as the honorary title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), The Sunday Times reports.
An honorary CBE is among the highest honors a non-Commonwealth citizen can receive. The title was conferred by Queen Elizabeth in 2016 following Mahfouz’s significant donations to refurbishment projects the prince was interested in, according to The Times, which notes the businessman also denies wrongdoing.
Charles, 72, has denied knowledge of Fawcett’s alleged wrongdoings, and fully supports the foundation’s investigation into the allegations, a representative for Clarence House told the outlet.
This isn’t the first time Fawcett has been under the microscope with the monarchy, CNN reports.
Back in 2003, in the wake of allegedly selling gifts unwanted by the family and pocketing some of the money, Fawcett resigned from Charles’ service, according to the outlet. Though he was cleared, Fawcett was confirmed to have taken advantage of his position in other ways, involving rule bending and receiving certain perks.
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