The Real Reason Prince Harry Is So Upset To Be Linked To His Father's Current Crisis

Prince Charles is knee-deep in one of the most damaging scandals of his royal career. According to The Sunday Times, Charles personally awarded the prestigious Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) to Saudi Arabian billionaire Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz. Apparently, it is one of the highest accolades a non-Brit can receive. However, Mahfouz allegedly paid a hefty sum for the honor after he made a deal with Charles' former right-hand man, Michael Fawcett. Apparently, the title was bestowed upon Mahfouz because he wanted a British "golden visa"  that secured him a UK residency and citizenship. Since then, an investigation found that Fawcett was guilty of working with "fixers," per BBC.

News then broke of a Russian banker being involved in a similar scheme. Per CNN, Dmitry Leus donated a large sum of money toward Charles' The Prince Foundation, and the prince even thanked Leus in a personal note. Clarence House denied that the Duke of Cornwall had any knowledge of "the alleged offer of honors or British citizenship on the basis of donation to his charities." They also told CNN that Charles "fully supports the investigation now underway by The Prince's Foundation." 

Charles is not the only one feeling hot under the collar by the accusations that are being tossed about. In fact, Prince Harry has also released a statement where he set the record straight.

According to The Times, Prince Charles' charity was not the only one receiving donations from Saudi Arabian billionaire Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz. They claimed that in 2013, Prince Harry's organization, Sentebale, also received the sum of £50,000. After the news broke, Harry was proactive about the report and has come out guns blazing.

In a statement, per People, Harry said, "It is disappointing that The Sunday Times, knowing all the facts, has chosen to encourage speculation by being deliberately vague to try to create a falsified link between the Duke of Sussex and the CBE scandal, of which he had no knowledge or involvement." He seemingly denied knowing about the cash-for-honors scheme. It continued, "The Duke and his advisers, as well as his non-profit Sentebale, severed ties with Mr Mahfouz and his associates in 2015, no longer accepting further donations to Sentebale and discontinuing any plans for a fundraising event amid growing concerns over the motives for his support." 

The statement then underscores that there was no lasting relationship between Mahfouz and Prince Harry. "The Duke had one planned meeting with this donor nearly eight years ago, did not introduce him to any members of the royal family, and expressed his concerns about the donor," ends the statement. Interestingly, the statement suggests that Harry did not keep quiet about his concerns and made his feelings known even back then. In fact, the former war veteran trusted his instincts, and it paid off.