Prince Charles accepted a £1 million donation from the family of September 11 attack mastermind Osama bin Laden, it has been revealed.
A report by The Sunday Times states that the heir to the British throne met with Bakr bin Laden, the son of the family's patriarch and half-brother to the al-Qaeda founder, on 30 October, 2013.
As the publication noted, this was two years after the terrorist was killed by US forces in Pakistan.
While attending their meeting at Clarence House in London, the Royal agreed to accept the hefty donation for The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF) from Bakr and his brother Shafiq.
Sources told the outlet that the payment was received despite Charles's advisors telling him not to go through with it and to return the money.
That includes one of his household employees who claimed to have told him that 'it would not be good for anybody' if it was uncovered in the media.
Despite no evidence suggesting Bakr and Shafiq have been involved in terrorist acts, another source feared the decision could cause damage to the prince's reputation due to the association with the man who was responsible for the deadly 2001 attack on the Twin Towers.
They told the outlet: “The fact that a member of the highest level of the British establishment was choosing to broker deals with a name and a family that not only rang alarm bells, but abject horror around the world... why would you do this? What good reason is there to do this?”
They continued: "I just didn’t feel any member of the British Royal family should be involved in that sort of undertaking."
A spokesperson from the PWCF has since responded to the claims, saying the donation was agreed upon by the trustees.
They said in a statement to The Times: "The donation from Sheik Bakr bin Laden in 2013 was carefully considered by PWCF trustees at the time.
"Due diligence was conducted, with information sought from a wide range of sources, including government.
"The decision to accept the donation was taken wholly by the trustees. Any attempt to suggest otherwise is misleading and inaccurate."
Clarence House also released a statement to the publication which reads: "The Prince of Wales' Charitable Fund has assured us that thorough due diligence was undertaken in accepting this donation.
"The decision to accept was taken by the charity's trustees alone and any attempt to characterise it otherwise is false."
This isn't the first time Charles and his charity, which awards grants to non-profits both in the UK and globally, has come under fire for controversial donations.
In June, The Sunday Times revealed that the Royal family member had accepted a suitcase filled with €1 million in cash from the Qatari politician Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, also known as HBJ.
The former Prime Minister of Qatar was said to have handed over a total of €3 million in three separate payments between 2011 and 2015.
Clarence House did not deny that Charles accepted at least one of the donations, telling the newspaper that it 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'.
Featured Image Credit: PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo/World History Archive/Alamy Stock PhotoTopics: Prince Charles, Royal Family, Terrorism, UK News, News, Charity, Money
Daisy Phillipson