Prince of Wales Charles received a £1 million donation for his charity from relatives of Osama bin Laden, Report informs via The Guardian.
The Sunday Times alleged that the future king of the United Kingdom accepted the payment from Bakr bin Laden, the patriarch of the Saudi family, and his brother Shafiq.
Prince Charles, 73, is said to have held a private meeting with Bakr, 76, at Clarence House in London on 30 October 2013, two years after Osama bin Laden was shot dead by US special forces at a compound near Islamabad in Pakistan, according to the newspaper.
Clarence House strongly disputes many of the claims, saying the decision to accept the donation to his charity, the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF), was taken solely by trustees.
Bakr and Shafiq bin Laden are half-brothers of Osama, related to the founder of al-Qaida through their father Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden, a Yemeni-born billionaire.
There is no suggestion that Bakr or Shafiq bin Laden has sponsored or been involved in acts of terrorism.
Sir Ian Cheshire, chairman of the Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation (PWCF), where the money was deposited, said in a statement: “The donation from Sheik Bakr bin Laden in 2013 was carefully considered by PWCF Trustees at the time.
“Due diligence was conducted, with information sought from a wide range of sources, including government. The decision to accept the donation was taken wholly by the Trustees.
“Any attempt to suggest otherwise is misleading and inaccurate.”
A source close to the charity said after a thorough examination of the issues, the trustees concluded that the actions of one bin Laden family member should not tarnish the whole family.