Prince Harry sparks potential rift with Prince Charles as he comments on cash-for-honours scandal

Prince Harry has risked another rift with his father Prince Charles after revealing that he had warned him about the Saudi billionaire who has gotten the Prince of Wales involved in a cash-for-honours scandal.

Michael Fawcett, Prince Charles's closest aide who used to handle his charity "The Prince's Foundation," resigned from his position earlier this month as Clarence House started an investigation into reports that he had offered a Saudi businessman British titles and citizenship in exchange for a hefty donation. Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, the billionaire who had made several huge donations to Prince Charles's charity, was made an honorary CBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in late 2016.

While Prince Charles has maintained silence on the matter, other than a statement by Clarence House that he was unaware of any such arrangement, his son prince Harry recently came forward to express his opinion. In a statement released via his spokesperson, the Duke of Sussex said that he always had suspicions about Dr. Bin Mahfouz's intentions and thus severed all ties with him.

The statement came after a report in The Sunday Times claimed that Harry had also agreed to meet the businessman in 2013 after the latter made a £50,000 donation to his charity and hinted he would give millions more. The pair reportedly met at a pub in Chelsea, west London, where they discussed Harry's charity "Sentebale," before they met for a second time at Clarence House, giving the donor access to the Prince of Wales.

Harry's spokesperson denied the reports and clarified that Harry had already cut ties with Mahfouz in 2015 because of "concerns over his motives." The statement read, "It is disappointing that the Sunday Times, knowing all the facts, has chosen to encourage speculation by being deliberately vague to try to create a falsified link between the Duke of Sussex and the CBE scandal, of which he had no knowledge or involvement."

"The duke and his advisers, as well as his non-profit Sentebale, severed ties with Mr Mahfouz and his associates in 2015, no longer accepting further donations to Sentebale and discontinuing any plans for a fundraising event amid growing concerns over the motives for his support," they added.

The statement noted that the Duke had "one planned meeting" with the businessman nearly eight years ago but he did not introduce him to any members of the royal family, and at the same time "expressed his concerns about the donor."