A charity has confirmed it is investigating the transactions of a real estate company that apparently bought houses on an Ayrshire estate from a subsidiary of the Prince’s Foundation.
The company, Havisham Properties, is being examined for the purchase of 11 properties in the Knockroon development in Scotland, originally acquired as farmland by Prince Charles when he bought the nearby mansion, Dumfries House.
The houses, which are understood to have been bought between 2012 and 2017 for £ 1.7 million, were initially conceived as an eco-friendly village designed to attract jobs and revitalize the former mining community.
A spokesman for the Scottish Charity Regulator’s Office said: “We can confirm that the work of the Havisham group and the real estate transactions related to Knockroon’s development in Ayrshire is part of our overall investigation, which is ongoing” .
It follows allegations published in the Sunday Times that Prince Charles ennobled Havisham Properties businessman and owner Lord Brownlow after accepting millions of pounds in donations from him.
The Conservative father, who in 2013 was appointed trustee of the Prince’s Foundation, which manages Dumfries House, helped rescue Prince Charles from the failed eco-village project after only 31 of the 770 houses were built due to lack of demand. . It was reported that the prince hoped the project would help pay off the £ 20 million loan he contracted to buy Dumfries House.
David Brownlow took center stage after funding Boris Johnson’s apartment renovation. Photography: David Brownlow Charitable Foundation
In 2018, after Brownlow, 58, allegedly completed his purchase of the unwanted properties and resigned as trustee, the prince granted him a royal honor at Buckingham Palace.
The Conservative father, who gained prominence after funding the controversial Boris Johnson apartment renovation on Downing Street, was appointed Commander of the Victorian Order (CVO).
“Lord Brownlow was appointed CVO in 2018 in recognition of his role as chair of the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community charity,” a spokeswoman for the Prince’s Foundation told the newspaper.
It follows reports that the Prince of Wales will no longer accept large cash donations for his charities after facing criticism over claims he personally received € 3 million in cash from a multimillion-dollar sheikh. of Qatar. The money was delivered in a small suitcase, a bag and a Fortnum & Mason carrying bag.
The money went to Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani’s Prince of Wales Charity Fund, who was Qatar’s prime minister between 2007 and 2013.