Met police taking no further action on cash-for-honours claims involving king’s charity

No further action will be taken by detectives who have been investigating cash-for-honours allegations involving the king’s charity the Prince’s Foundation, the Metropolitan police said.

The force launched the investigation in February after media reports alleged offers of help were made to secure honours and citizenship for a Saudi national.

In September 2021, the Sunday Times published claims that the billionaire Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz paid tens of thousands of pounds to fixers with links to the then Prince Charles who had told him they could secure the honour.

It had been alleged Mahfouz had made donations to restoration projects of interest to Charles. There are no suggestions of any wrongdoing by Mahfouz or the king.

When the allegations surfaced, the Prince’s Foundation launched an internal investigation, which in turn led to one of Charles’s former closest aides, Michael Fawcett, temporarily stepping down as its chief executive.

More details soon …