Prince Charles denies any wrongdoing over bags-of-cash claim

The UK's Charity Commission has confirmed it will review Prince Charles' acceptance of of a suitcase containing €1 million ($1.5 million) in cash from a Qatari sheikh.

Prince Charles' office has denied there was any wrongdoing in the heir to the British throne accepting three bags full of cash as charity donations from the politician, who was the former prime minister of Qatar.

The Sunday Times said the prince was given a total of €3 million ($4.5 million) by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani.

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It said the money was handed over to Charles at private meetings between 2011 and 2015 – on one occasion in a suitcase, and on another in shopping bags from London's Fortnum & Mason department store.

The newspaper said the money was deposited into the accounts of the Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund. It did not allege that anything illegal was done.

Charles' office, Clarence House, said in a statement that the donations "were passed immediately to one of the prince's charities who carried out the appropriate governance and have assured us that all the correct processes were followed."

The prince's charitable fund told the newspaper it had verified "that the donor was a legitimate and verified counterparty … and our auditors signed off on the donation after a specific enquiry during the audit. There was no failure of governance."

Qatar's government communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At one of the meetings, in 2015, at Clarence House, the 73-year-old prince is said to have accepted a bag containing €1 million.

It is alleged that the cash was handed to aides who counted out the now discontinued €500 notes, which were named the "bin Laden" because of links to the funding of terrorism.

One former adviser who handled some of the cash said that "everyone felt very uncomfortable about the situation".

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The meetings were private and therefore do not appear in the Court Circular.

Private Coutts bank, which has served the royal family for decades, then collected the cash and it was paid into the accounts of the Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund.

There is no suggestion that the payments were illegal.

In a statement overnight, a Charity Commission spokesman said: "We are aware of reports about donations received by the Prince of Wales's Charitable Foundation.

"We will review the information to determine whether there is any role for the Commission in this matter".

As Qatar's prime minister between 2007 and 2013, Hamad oversaw the oil-rich state's sovereign wealth fund, which has major property investments around the world, including London's Shard skyscraper, Heathrow Airport and Harrods department store.

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London police are currently investigating a separate allegation that people associated with another of the prince's charities, the Prince's Foundation, offered to help a Saudi billionaire secure honours and citizenship in return for donations.

Clarence House has said Charles had no knowledge of any such offer.