Britain’s Prince Charles accepted bags containing 3 million euros in cash during meetings with the former prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani, the British-based Sunday Times reported. The payments were received from the Sheikh during meetings held between the men between 2011 and 2015, according to the report. The cash was handed to the Prince of Wales in a suitcase in one of the incidents, according to the report.
The prince’s spokesman told the newspaper that the money was “passed immediately to one of the prince’s charities who carried out the appropriate covenants and assured us that all the correct processes were followed.” The charity where the money was deposited has been identified as Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund. There is no suggestion the payments were illegal, according to the report.
The sheikh has several large investments in London including the Shard, Harrods and the InterContinental London Park Lane. Al Thani was Qatar’s prime minister and minister of foreign affairs from 2007 to 2013, during which time he built close ties with British royalty.