Prince Charles has been involved in another controversy that may have negatively affected his public image. Several royal experts weighed in on the progress of Prince William's father's future as he awaits his time to take over the throne.
Prince Charles Allegedly Tarnished His Own Reputation
The Prince of Wales has struggled to win the public's approval after his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles was exposed. However, after years of serving the monarchy, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall have finally slowly gained the people's trust. But Prince Charles blew it after his charity was involved in a scandal — he allegedly accepted donations from questionable sources, including Qatar's former Prime Minister and billionaire Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani.
Prince Charles tarnished his reputation with his recent controversy and failed to turn around his negative public image. The controversial sheikh reportedly admitted that under his governance in Qatar, he "maybe" finances the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda without his knowledge, Express reported.
Royal biographer Omid Scobie was impressed with the Prince of Wales' effort to demonstrate the art of diplomacy and compassion. He also praised the heir apparent for not shying away from uncomfortable conversations about Britain's past imperialism and historic role in the slave trade.
However, the Finding Freedom author believed that despite Prince Charles' seemingly authentic effort, he "well and truly blown" his chance to win the public's approval and repair his reputation due to the questionable donation.
"The recent news that the prince accepted €3 million from Qatar's former Prime Minister and billionaire Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani shows incredibly poor judgment given Qatar's record on human rights," Scobie wrote on Yahoo! News.
"The incidents demonstrate a total lack of awareness of the way in which such deals were done," Scobie said. "How can a senior royal believe accepting a suitcase of cash is a sensible way to fund a charity."
Prince Charles Reportedly Blows His Last Chance To Win The Public
According to Scobie, Prince Charles' popularity as the succeeding heir has always been mixed due to his "past infidelities, appalling treatment of Princess Diana, and questionable professional judgment has lost him support both in and outside of the palace." Prince William has been more popular with his father, with some even wanting to skip Prince Charles and make the Duke of Cambridge the next king after Queen Elizabeth.
Several experts argued that it's not possible because even the Queen, herself, could not choose her own heir. So, no other royal will rule after Her Majesty than the Prince of Wales. However, Scobie felt that the heir apparent has blown his last chance of turning around his reputation.
"The Platinum Jubilee year was a final chance for the Prince of Wales to turn some of that negativity around. But with rumours of more embarrassing revelations on the horizon (yes, the sources behind the most recent leaks claim to have more), Charles appears to have well and truly blown it," Scobie added.
Stay tuned for more news and updates about the royal family.
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