Prince Charles Accused Over 'Rot at the Palace' After New Charity Scandal

Prince Charles' "career would be over" if he was a politician facing the same cash-for-honors scandal that has rocked his charity for almost a year, anti-monarchy campaign group Republic said.

Britain's next king has been hit by a new wave of allegations relating to an honorary title he gave a Conservative Party donor who seemingly helped bail out a failing project.

It follows recent accusations he accepted €3 million in cash, including €1 million stuffed into a suitcase, from a Qatari politician. There is no suggestion the cash payments were in any way illegal, and they were deposited into the prince's Charitable Fund after due diligence.

The former chief executive of Charles' charity The Prince's Foundation also resigned following allegations he offered a Saudi businessman help securing a knighthood and citizenship in exchange for donations. A spokesperson for the prince said at the time that the "Foundation takes very seriously the allegations made in recent news articles and is committed to the highest ethical standards."

The saga has left Republic's chief executive Graham Smith calling on U.K. politicians to rip up a convention forbidding them from discussing the royal family.

Prince Charles Scandal Prompts Republic's Letter to MPs

Smith wrote to Britain's Members of Parliament (MPs) asking them to hold the royal family to account for repeated scandals.

The letter, seen by Newsweek, read: "This weekend there are more accusations and revelations regarding Prince Charles, the man who could suddenly find himself Britain's head of state at any time.

"Those accusations suggest another cash-for-honours scandal, as well as questionable fundraising practices which, aside from raising other important questions, contradict his previous claim to keep his charities at arm's length.

"In normal times, if even one of these scandals had hit a politician their career would be over.

"At the very least there would be cries of outrage from the opposition and widespread debate in the media and political classes.

"Yet, despite growing evidence that the princes are not fit to hold high office, there is a deafening, universal and scandalous silence from parliament."

Prince Charles' New Cash-for-Honors Scandal

Prince Charles made controversial Conservative Party donor Lord Brownlow a Commander of the Victorian Order (CVO) in 2018.

The move came after Brownlow's company, Havisham investment group, bailed out a failed eco project by Charles' charity to the tune of around £1.7 million (around $2 million) between 2012 and 2017.

Unlike most honors, titles under the Royal Victorian Order are given for services to the royal family themselves and recipients are not chosen by Government.

Prince Charles saved 18th century Dumfries House, set on 2,000 acres of Scottish countryside, when he bought it for £45 million in 2007, but also took on £20 million of debt in the process.

The project involved plans to build and sell eco-homes on nearby farmland to repay the loan, which has since been paid off, but the project failed after just 31 of 770 were built and the value of the project was knocked down from £15 million to £700,000, The Sunday Times reported.

Brownlow bought 11 of the homes, helping to bail out the scheme, while in 2015 he was awarded £1.2 million in contracts to build cottages for staff on the estate.

Lord Brownlow is already a familiar name within Britain's political class after funding a controversial refurbishment of the Prime Minister Boris Johnson's official flat at Number 11 Downing Street.

The Office for the Scottish Charities Regulator (OSCR) said in a statement released to Newsweek: "We can confirm that the work of Havisham Group and property transactions relating to the Knockroon development in Ayshire forms part of our overall investigation, work on which is ongoing."

Charles Condemned by Former U.K. Political Aides

The latest allegations against Prince Charles and his charity drew criticism from two high profile figures from the world of U.K. politics.

Alastair Campbell was spokesperson for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and is one of Britain's most famous political spin doctors, serving as inspiration for fictional character Malcolm Tucker, played by Peter Capaldi in movie In the Loop.

He wrote on Twitter: "That Lord Bronwnnose gets around. Seems he is bankrolling Prince Charles as well as Bojo."

He added: "Can't imagine how he got a peerage ...."

Nick Timothy, who was chief of staff to former Prime Minister Theresa May, wrote on Twitter: "With every story like this, you wonder whether Parliament is going to change its conventions with the Royal Family and award itself the freedom to scrutinise conduct and spending."

Scandals relating to Prince Charles tend to attract less media attention in Britain than allegations against Prince Harry or Meghan Markle, who generate significantly more traffic.

However, in September it will be a year since the first calls for a police investigation into allegations at his charity.

Investigations by watchdog OSCR and by the police are ongoing.

Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, said in a statement: "The biggest scandal in all of this is the silence of parliament. It has to stop, every MP owes it to the U.K. to speak up and do something about the rot at the palace.

"There is no excuse for this abject failure to hold the Royal Household to account. We cannot claim to be a democracy if our elected representatives are too timid to speak up and challenge scandal at the heart of our constitution.

"Any other institution hit by this level of scandal would be put into special measures and a root and branch reform would be carried out. But MPs know that can't happen, because the monarchy is a family business. So instead of calling them out for corruption they run a mile.

"I hope that at some point all MPs will begin to speak up on these issues."

A Clarence House spokesperson said: "Chairpersons of charities closely associated with the Royal Family are often appointed to the Royal Victorian Order to thank them for public service."

A spokesperson for The Prince's Foundation said in a statement released to Newsweek: "The Prince's Foundation publishes annual financial accounts that are independently audited and in the public domain. Accordingly, the information in relation to Lord Brownlow has been fully disclosed.

"Lord Brownlow was appointed CVO in 2018 in recognition of his role of chair of the charity The Prince's Foundation for Building Community."