An inquiry found that Michael Fawcett’s actions posed risks to the King’s charity, but no misconduct was established against him.
Ayrshire: So, there’s been a bit of a stir over at the King’s Foundation. Michael Fawcett, who used to be the King’s right-hand man, got into hot water for exposing the charity to some serious risks. But here’s the kicker: they didn’t find any misconduct on his part.
The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator took a good look at what went down. They were checking out how things were run at the King’s Foundation, which used to be called the Prince’s Foundation. Fawcett stepped down as the head honcho back in 2021 after some pretty wild claims came out. Apparently, he was trying to help a Saudi billionaire get a knighthood and British citizenship.
The report that came out recently wasn’t too kind to Fawcett. It said he acted in a way that was “unacceptable” because he didn’t make sure some really valuable artwork, worth over £100 million, was insured. That’s a big deal! The charity ended up in a risky spot because of that.
They didn’t name him directly in the report, just referred to him as the “charity’s former CEO.” But it turns out there were already some red flags about him, especially regarding some high-value paintings that were loaned to the charity. Some folks even thought a few of those pieces might be fakes!
Back in 2019, a British socialite lent the charity a bunch of masterpieces to show off at their place in Dumfries House. But then a convicted art forger claimed some of those were his fakes, which the lender totally denied. Talk about drama!
The OSCR said Fawcett’s actions put the charity at risk, and it was a big no-no that he didn’t keep the charity trustees in the loop about serious issues. They needed to know so they could handle things better. But they also mentioned that the whole situation was a bit chaotic, so it’s unclear if he even knew the insurance had lapsed.
They found that the charity’s governance wasn’t always up to snuff, but they didn’t find any misconduct from current or former trustees. The King’s Foundation, now that Charles is king, is all about making a positive impact and has even roped in some celebs like David Beckham to help out.
They’re working on promoting heritage, sustainability, and all that good stuff. But there were also some eyebrow-raising purchases, like a fancy lamp bought for a trustee’s personal use. The OSCR said the decision-making around that was pretty weak.
Fawcett also had some questionable payments going on with his events company, which raised some eyebrows. He eventually paid back the money, but it still looked a bit dodgy.
In the end, the OSCR didn’t find any evidence of misconduct by the charity’s trustees, but they did say the governance could use some work. The King’s Foundation is taking the findings seriously and is looking to improve as they move forward.
