"Is he a dishonest man?”
It's been quite the week for Royal news - while the Queen's diary is reportedly "under review" following her recent health scare, Prince Louis has missed out on joining his parents, Kate and William, on their upcoming Royal tour as a result of ongoing Covid precautions.
Now, experts are sharing that one Royal scandal is threatening to overshadow the Queen's Platinum Jubilee - and it's not related to Prince Andrew, who settled a lawsuit believed to have cost the Royal Family near the figure of £12 million.
Rather, Royal experts are worried that Prince Charles' "cash for honours" scandal threatens to overshadow the Queen's day.
Not read much about the reported incidents? Last year, the police begun investigations into one of the Princes charities over various speculations that he had accepted cash in exchange for honours. Saudi billionaire Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz was presented with a CBE at Buckingham Palace back in 2016. Royal representatives have always denied the rumours of a cash-for-honours deal, but have confirmed that Prince Charles will fully cooperate with police.
Why are experts more concerned about the accusations about Charles? Well, in short, because with the Andrew settlement, it could be dealt with via the courts, whereas the Charles situation is a matter of police concern, which means the Royal family have to work at the same speed as the police and their investigation.
Plus, this scandal is about the direct heir to the throne.
It's believed that the investigation could take many months.
Nigel Cawthorne, royal expert and author of Prince Andrew: Epstein, Maxwell and the Palace, says he feels bad for the Queen. “I feel sorry for the Queen because she hasn’t put a foot wrong in 70 years,” he says. “The wheels are really coming off the House of Windsor."
“And don’t forget — the crown doesn’t automatically pass to Prince Charles. The Privy Council has to issue a declaration which invites the new monarch to take the throne. And the wording is: ‘With one voice, one mind and one heart’. So if just one person on the council says no because of this whole drama, then who knows what happens.”
Royal biographer Robert Jobson agrees, adding: "Prince Charles story is in many ways quite political,” he shares. “The public might say, oh look at those dopey sons. But the fact of the matter is it’s just not fair and it’s just not true. Maybe it would make a good soap opera for the tabloids, but that doesn’t make it right."
“The Prince Andrew scandal is a completely grubby story that’s been lingering in the background for 10 years. But this stuff about Prince Charles is a politically-motivated, agenda-motivated, anti-monarchy-motivated situation.”
“It’s all a little sad,” Jobson adds, on the fact that the Queen could pass away before these issues are fully resolved. “Father Time is catching up with her, there’s no doubt about that. The Queen clearly isn’t as mobile as she was. She was talking the other day about not being able to move.”
Does Jobson think that Charles is guilty of what he's being accused of? "Absolutely not," he says. "[He isn't] a dishonest man that would do this cash-for-honours stuff. He does a good job for the country. It’s time the world remembered that rather than looking to firing shots at him."
