Prince Charles will no longer accept cash donations for his charities

ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship explains the circumstances around a royal source saying that Prince Charles will never again handle large cash donations to be passed to his charities

The Prince of Wales will not accept any further charity donations in cash following criticism of the way in which he received money from a Qatari sheikh. Last weekend, the Sunday Times reported that Prince Charles received donations in cash totalling €3 million (£2.6 million) for one of his charities between 2011 and 2015. Now a senior royal source in the prince’s office has insisted it would not happened again. “The Prince of Wales operates on advice,” they said, adding that “situations and contexts change over the years". They said: “I can say with certainty that for more than half a decade… this has not happened and it would not happen again.”

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The Charity Commission has yet to decide if the cash – some of which was handed over in bags from the upmarket retailer Fortnum and Mason – merits an investigation. However, the rules of the charity regulator do indicate that cash donations to charities are allowed. But the revelations have raised questions about whether the former prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim, has benefitted from any undue influence over the heir to the throne as a result of his donations. Prince Charles’ office insist the cash was passed immediately to his charities and they decided whether to accept the money. “It followed all the right processes and the auditors looked at it," said the royal official. The money was received by The Prince of Wales’ Charitable Foundation.

Another of Prince Charles‘ charities, the Prince’s Foundation, is currently being investigated over allegations that honours were promised in return for donations. The chief executive of that charity, Michael Fawcett, who was Prince Charles’ former valet, later resigned over the claims. Clarence House is keen to draw a line under the most recent cash donation claims even though it insists no rules were broken. It comes as the future king increasingly stands in for his 96-year old mother on official duties as the Queen’s mobility prevents her attending certain events. Both the Queen and Prince Charles are currently in Edinburgh for Holyrood Week – an annual tradition when the Queen resides in Scotland at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.