British police drop probe against King Charles' charity

British police dropped on Monday an 18-month investigation into one of King Charles III's charities, after media reports suggested that a Saudi businessman was offered honors after making donations to the charity.

London's Metropolitan Police launched in February 2022 their investigation into The Prince's Foundation. This came after the Sunday Times reported on the Saudi businessman's award and its purported relation to his donations toward projects supported by Charles, who was then still a prince.

It said on Monday that "after careful consideration of the information received as a result of the investigation to date, the Met has concluded that no further action will be taken in this matter."

What do we know about the allegations?

In 2021, British media alleged that people associated with Charles' Prince's Foundation offered to help a Saudi billionaire secure honors and citizenship in return for donations.

The man, tycoon Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, had donated large sums to restoration projects of particular interest to Charles.

The head of the foundation, Michael Fawcett, resigned shortly afterward, after an internal investigation into the allegations.

In their statement announcing the decision to drop the probe, the London Metropolitan Police cited a long and thorough investigation which they said included reviewing some 200 documents.

Police also contacted those believed to hold relevant information, including The Prince's Foundation, and a media organization which referenced certain documents in its reporting.

"Should any new information or evidence come to light that requires further assessment, this will be carried out by the Met's SET," police said, in reference to its Special Enquiry Team. "Nobody has been arrested or charged during the course of this investigation."

Charles set up The Prince's Fund in the 1970s to help vulnerable youths get their lives back on track, helping with things such as job search. However, in recent years, several of the king's charities have come under scrutiny, facing accusations of accepting donations from dubious figures.

Correction, from August 22, 2023: A previous version of this article incorrectly named the charity at the center of the investigation as The Prince's Trust — the charity in question is The Prince's Foundation. DW apologizes for the error.

rmt/fb (AFP, Reuters)