The Prince of Wales met the fixer at the heart of the royal “cash for honours” scandal at least nine times in Britain and abroad. Clarence House has said Charles had “no knowledge” of the practice of paid intermediaries arranging access to the royal family or honours in exchange for donations to his charities. However, we have established that the prince has repeatedly seen William Bortrick, the fixer who received thousands of pounds to help secure an honour for a Saudi billionaire and who brokered a personal thank-you letter from Charles to a Russian donor.
The pair have met in England, Scotland and Saudi Arabia over the past seven years. Bortrick attended donor dinners hosted by Charles at Dumfries House, the royal residence in Ayrshire; saw the prince in London at Clarence House, St James’s Palace and Buckingham Palace; and met the prince over tea and sandwiches at the British embassy in Riyadh.
In summer last year Charles, 72, and Bortrick, 48, took an intimate stroll in the gardens of the Castle of Mey, the Queen Mother’s former home in Caithness. They were joined by the gardener and a trustee of the Prince’s Foundation, Charles’s flagship charity. Weeks earlier Bortrick had brokered a six-figure donation to the charity from a Russian banker in exchange for a meeting with the prince. He received a £5,000 cut of the donation to cover “expenses”.
On August 5, shortly after the meeting, Bortrick wrote to the Russian: “I have just had an excellent private visit with HRH the Prince of Wales — who appreciates your generosity and asked me to send his personal good wishes to you.”
At the time, the prince was carrying out few official engagements and some Covid-19 restrictions were in place. The prince even sent Bortrick a personal Christmas card last year.
The pair’s relationship puts Charles at the heart of the scandal, which has already prompted the temporary resignation of Michael Fawcett, his closest aide and the chief executive of his charity. Last week Douglas Connell, the chairman of the Prince’s Foundation, also resigned, citing evidence of possible “rogue activity” and “serious misconduct”. Clarence House has rejected direct criticism of the prince. However, today’s revelations will inevitably pose questions of Charles, including what he knew and when, and whether he was aware of Bortrick’s status as a paid consultant.
Asked on three occasions whether Charles knew that Bortrick was remunerated for his work on behalf of wealthy individuals, his
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