The Metropolitan Police has closed its investigation into cash-for-honours claims involving the Prince’s Foundation and will take no further action, it has announced.
Police officers began investigating claims that staff at the charity, set up by King Charles III in 1986, offered to help a billionaire donor in his bid for British citizenship and an honour in September 2021.
The investigation followed allegations published by the Sunday Times that donations to the charity by Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz were used to try and influence the king, then heir to the throne.
It focused on the involvement of Mahfouz, who received a letter from then-Prince Charles thanking him for his donations to the Foundation and would later receive a CBE, according to the Times.
When the allegations surfaced, the Prince’s Foundation also opened an internal investigation, which in turn led to Michael Fawcett temporarily stepping down as its chief executive.
The police said the assessment process included liaison with charity about the findings of an independent investigation into fundraising practices.
It said the Foundation provided a number of relevant documents which were reviewed alongside existing information.
On 6 September 2022, police interviewed a man aged in his 50s and a man aged in his 40s under caution at a London police station.
The Met has concluded that no further action will be taken in this matter, and nobody has been arrested or charged during the course of this investigation.
It said there are no suggestions of any wrongdoing by Mahfouz or the king.
A spokesperson for the Prince’s Foundation said it had noted the decision of the Metropolitan Police.
“Following the conclusion of its own independent investigation and governance review last year, the charity is moving forward with a continued focus on delivering the education and training programmes for which it has been established,” they said.
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