Skip to main content

What a rum bunch to be hobnobbing with Britain’s future King! The remarkable cast of wealthy donors to the Prince's Foundation

A remarkable cast of wealthy individuals from around the world have donated funds to the Prince’s Foundation.

As Prince Charles faces intense scrutiny over how he has raised money, The Mail on Sunday highlights some of the colourful characters who have provided financial support to the future king.

The ex Saudi spy chief: Turki bin Faisal al saud

A former director general of Saudi Arabia’s intelligence agency and later its ambassador to Britain, Turki Bin Faisal al Saud has been photographed arm-in-arm with Charles and between September 2004 and October 2005 served as a director of the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, an arm of the Prince’s Foundation.

But Turki, 76, has a chequered past. 

Ex-Saudi spy chief Turki Bin Faisal al Saud has been photographed arm-in-arm with Charles (above) and between September 2004 and October 2005 served as a director of the Prince¿s School of Traditional Arts

Ex-Saudi spy chief Turki Bin Faisal al Saud has been photographed arm-in-arm with Charles and between September 2004 and October 2005 served as a director of the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts

In 2002, two years before he was appointed director at the school, he was named in a multi-billion-pound lawsuit by families of 9/11 victims, alleging that he was among a group of Saudi princes who may have funded terrorists involved in the attack.

Turki has repeatedly and vociferously denied the claims, insisting he had had no contact with Osama Bin Laden since Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. 

In 2005, he described al-Qaeda as ‘an evil cult’.

The billionaire dealer: Wafic Said

The Syrian-born Saudi billionaire was recognised as a ‘founding supporter’ during the restoration of Dumfries House, but he is also known as a middleman who profited from Britain’s ‘Al-Yamamah’ arms deal which involved the multi-billion-pound sale of fighter jets and warships to Saudi Arabia. 

A major investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into allegations of corruption surrounding the deal were dropped amid claims the SFO had bowed to political pressure.

The Syrian-born Saudi billionaire was recognised as a ¿founding supporter¿ during the restoration of Charles's Dumfries House

The Syrian-born Saudi billionaire was recognised as a ‘founding supporter’ during the restoration of Charles's Dumfries House

In 2009, Mr Said, pictured, was at the centre of claims that he had allegedly exploited a loophole to make donations to the Conservatie Party via his wife, which he strongly denies. 

Said, whose homes around the world include Tusmore Park, a 3,000-acre estate in Oxfordshire, had previously given donations to the Tories. Between 2004 and 2006, Said reportedly gave £550,000 to the party at auctions.

‘$1m in his underwear’: Timur Kuanyshev

Kazakh oil magnate Timur and his wife Alfiya are prominent supporters of the Prince’s Foundation with a craft and skills centre named in their honour.

At Dumfries House, the ‘resplendent Blue Drawing Room’ was also ‘generously funded’ by the couple.

But they are perhaps better known for being arrested in Moscow in 1993 allegedly with $1 million in their underwear. The pair were never prosecuted.

Damned by an American judge: Cem Uzan

Almost £400,000 was donated by the Turkish businessman to the Prince’s Foundation in 2003, but the tycoon hit the headlines after being convicted for conning telephone firm Motorola in an elaborate loan scam.

Mr Uzan was sentenced to 15 months’ jail by a High Court judge in 2002 after failing to attend a hearing into allegations that he failed to repay £2billion of loans. 

The 60-year-old and his wife Alara had been among the Prince’s Foundation’s most prominent supporters. 

In June 2000, Mrs Uzan sat next to Charles at a dinner to celebrate the setting up of the Foundation.

In 2003, a US District Court condemned the couple, saying: ‘The proof is very strong that the Uzans are business imperialists of the worst kind, in that they will go to any lengths, including fraud and racketeering, to preserve their business empire.’

Two years later, the Prince’s Foundation concluded it would not return the £400,000 donation.

In 2009, Mr Uzan was granted political asylum in France. He was later indicted for racketeering in Turkey and sentenced in absentia to 23 years in prison.

Laundering row Russian: Ruben Vardanyan

An Armenian-born Russian businessman, 53-year-old Ruben Vardanyan donated $100,000 to the Prince’s Foundation in 2009 and has been pictured with Charles at Dumfries House.

In 2010, he attended an event celebrating Armenia and its culture at Windsor Castle, but it later emerged that an arm of Troika Dialog, a private investment bank that he ran, acted as a financial Laundromat, allegedly shuffling billions through offshore companies on behalf of Russia’s elite.

An Armenian-born Russian businessman, 53-year-old Ruben Vardanyan (left) donated $100,000 to the Prince¿s Foundation in 2009 and has been pictured with Charles at Dumfries House

An Armenian-born Russian businessman, 53-year-old Ruben Vardanyan donated $100,000 to the Prince’s Foundation in 2009 and has been pictured with Charles at Dumfries House

Mr Vardanyan insists he knew nothing about the scheme and was not involved in the operations, management or activities of the wealth management arm of Troika Dialog Group. 

His donations to the Prince’s Foundation were made from his personal funds.

Accused of bribery: Prince Al Waleed

The billionaire, philanthropist and royal is a ‘core fund patron’ of the Prince’s Foundation, but he has also courted controversy in his native Saudi Arabia where in 2017 he was arrested on allegations of money laundering, bribery and extorting officials.

A nephew of King Salman, Prince Al Waleed's arrest was seen by many as a politically motivated bid by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to tighten his grip on power

A nephew of King Salman, Prince Al Waleed's arrest was seen by many as a politically motivated bid by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to tighten his grip on power

A nephew of King Salman, his arrest was seen by many as a politically motivated bid by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to tighten his grip on power. 

Prince Al Waleed was released in 2018 after three months in detention following a financial settlement. 

Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o