Prince Charles’s closest confidant for decades has left his post as head of the royal’s Prince’s Foundation amid an ongoing inquiry into cash for official honors, PEOPLE has confirmed.
Michael Fawcetthas permanently stepped down fromThe Prince’s Foundation, with a spokesperson for The Prince’s Foundation saying in a statement to PEOPLE: “Michael Fawcett has resigned from his post as CEO of The Prince’s Foundation.”
Fawcett’s private work providing party planning services, via his firm Premier Mode, to Charles’s household has also ended. A Clarence House spokesperson said, “Michael Fawcett and Premier Mode will not be providing services to us in the future. We have all agreed to end these arrangements.”
The departure of Fawcett — who rose from being a footman toQueen Elizabethto Charles’s valet and ultimately to running the charity — comes two months after a series of newspaper articles about how official honors and British citizenship were allegedly sought on behalf of a Saudi businessman. Fawcett originally stepped down “temporarily from active duties,” the chief of the charity said, when the stories emerged.
Prince Charles with Michael Fawcett.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
The inquiry was launched afterThe Sunday TimesandThe Mail on Sundayreported allegations that Fawcett helped support a campaign for official honors for Saudi businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz.
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source: people.com
