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A Saudi businessman who was offered help to secure a knighthood and British citizenship in exchange for donations to Prince Charles’s charities was awarded the Freedom of the City of London.
Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, who was told by Michael Fawcett, a trusted ally of Charles, that the Prince’s Foundation would be ‘happy and willing’ to use its influence to help him, became a Freeman of the City in 2013.
Seen as an honorary title awarded to those who have lived and worked in London, Freedom of the City has also been given to Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, JK Rowling and Dame Vera Lynn.
It emerged last week that Russian banker Dmitry Leus, whose offer to donate to the Prince’s charities was rebuffed, was offered the same honour by William Bortrick, a society fixer and a Freeman himself.
Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, who was told by Michael Fawcett, a trusted ally of Charles, that the Prince’s Foundation would be ‘happy and willing’ to use its influence to help him, became a Freeman of the City in 2013. Michael Fawcett is pictured right with Prince Charles
As well as being a Freeman, Dr Bin Mahfouz is the holder of the Lordship and Barony of Abernethy in Scotland. A decade ago, the Armorial Register granted him his own family arms, which were red to reflect the Saudi national flag and included scales because of his ‘legal training’. He was also given an honorary CBE in 2016.
Dr Bin Mahfouz has given generously to several Oxbridge colleges and was made the inaugural Bredon fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge, in July 2013, after what the college described as
