Royal money: Charles III and the wealth dimension

Graham Smith, CEO of the activist group Republic, also filed a complaint against Charles along the same lines: that both he and his close aide and former valet, Michael Fawcett, had allegedly breached the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. In the peculiar world of royal family relations, Fawcett made himself indispensable as chief squeezer of toothpaste onto the royal toothbrush when required. "I can manage without just about anyone, except for Michael," Charles once stated.

A published email from Fawcett to an aide of bin Mafouz, written in 2017 as chief executive of the Dumfries House Trust, promised, "In light of the ongoing and most recent generosity of His Excellency… I am happy to confirm to you, in confidence, that we are willing and happy to contribute to the application for Citizenship." An effort would also be made to apply "to increase His Excellency's honour from Honorary CBE to that of KBE in accordance with Her Majesty's Honour's Committee."

Charles, for his part, denies having any knowledge of the scheme, something considered risible by Baker. "The idea that Fawcett was running a rogue operation without telling [Charles] is simply unbelievable." The issue of royal money and its inscrutable mysteries is unlikely to go away.