Prince Charles' ex-aide quits charity role amid honor claims

A former close aide to Prince Charles has stepped down temporarily from his role as chief executive of a royal charity amid reports that he helped secure an honor for a Saudi donor

LONDON -- A former close aide to Prince Charles stepped down temporarily from his role as chief executive of a royal charity amid reports that he helped secure an honor for a Saudi donor, according to reports Sunday. The Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday newspapers reported that Michael Fawcett coordinated support for an honor for Saudi businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz. The Times said the businessman donated sums of more than 1.5 million pounds ($2.1 million) to The Prince’s Foundation to fund heritage restoration projects of interest to Charles, including residences Charles used. The report said Charles gave Mahfouz an honorary CBE, or Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, at a private ceremony in 2016. The Saudi denies wrongdoing.