King Charles’s scandal-hit aide at the centre of the monarch’s ‘cash for honours’ probe

Flanked by horse-drawn carriages and with his arm around his daughter Emily, this is Michael Fawcett, the scandal-stricken former assistant to King Charles at the masquerade ball he held to celebrate her 21st birthday.

But what raises eyebrows is the venue for the lavish party: Dumfries House – the stately home in Scotland owned by The Prince’s Foundation.

The charity is the subject of a police investigation into charges of ‘cash for honors’ following a series of stories in The Mail on Sunday.

The role of Mr. Fawcett as a former executive director of the foundation is under particular scrutiny.

The revelation that he held the party at Dumfries House will only reinforce the perception of his close connection to King Charles, to whom he was a servant before becoming his charity head.

The June 2015 birthday party lasted over the weekend at the 2,000-acre estate in Ayrshire.

After arriving at the stately home in horse-drawn carriages, the guests sat down for a champagne black-tie dinner in a cavernous white tent surrounded by gilded mirrors and spotlights.

Dinner was followed by a ball in the Tapestry Room – decorated with 18th-century Flemish tapestries – with numerous guests wearing ornate Venetian masks.

In addition to Mr Fawcett and Emily, now 28, were his wife Debbie and their son Oliver, who is now 32 and runs a digital arts creative agency.

Miss Fawcett posted dozens of photos to Facebook that were taken in a photo booth at the party. In one photo, Mr Fawcett posed with a fake mustache while his daughter pursed her lips for the camera.

Also among the guests were the sons and daughters of executives from Spanish tile giant Porcelanosa, which years earlier had brought the then Prince of Wales into controversy after accepting their donations to his charities and giving the company a Royal Warrant.

Mr Fawcett, 59, has repeatedly stayed in a holiday home in Spain owned by the company.

At the time of the party, Mr Fawcett was the Executive Director of the Prince’s Foundation with an annual salary of £311,000. The Foundation has been in charge of the £30 million restoration of Dumfries House after the Prince acquired it for the nation in 2007.

There is no suggestion of Mr Fawcett’s wrongdoing in hosting the birthday party at Dumfries House, south of Glasgow.

Fawcett resigned as chief executive of the Prince’s Foundation last year after The Mail on Sunday revealed how he had offered to help a Saudi billionaire, Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, obtain a knighthood and British citizenship in return for his continued and generous donations. of approximately £1.5 million to the future King’s charities.

In exchange for donations from Dr. Mahfouz, who denies any wrongdoing, is believed to have named a fountain in Dumfries House after him, as well as several benches on the estate, but without the knowledge of King Charles.

Following the revelations, Scotland Yard opened a cash-for-honours criminal investigation into the Prince’s Foundation.

On Friday, the Met announced that two men — one in his 40s and the other in his 50s — had been subject to questioning on Sept. 6 as part of the investigation. A source at the palace said it was unlikely the king himself would be questioned.

Last night, the Prince’s Foundation said proper procedures had been followed when the Fawcetts rented the site.

The Foundation said: “Commercial revenue generated by The Prince’s Foundation, including from events, is invested in our education and training programs that help students find jobs and advance their education and careers. We do not comment on details regarding private matters at any of our rental locations.”