King Charles has quietly met with his disgraced former royal aide Michael Fawcett for the first time in years as Royal Family tensions continue to escalate.
The monarch and Mr Fawcett secretly met at Windsor Castle months ago, following the former chief executive’s resignation from the King’s Foundation over a cash for honours scandal in 2021, People confirmed on Monday.
Charles reportedly whisked his ex-right-hand man in and out of the castle in a “military-style operation” to keep the meeting under wraps.
A source told the publication the gathering was a “farewell audience” for Michael, which was likely delayed following the King’s cancer diagnosis.
“While we wouldn’t comment on individual private meetings, His Majesty often holds farewell audiences for departing senior staff,” the source said.
“Some of these can be subject to delay, due to diary pressures, circumstance or ill health.”
The source added Charles “has never stopped feeling the loss of Michael being forced to resign”, and the King often confides within the palace walls about the 62-year-old being “the one person he can scarcely do without”.
The 76-year-old monarch himself has even been widely cited as saying he can “manage without just about anyone, except for Michael.”
Nevertheless, the source said the aide will not return to the royal fold after his highly publicised scandal which rocked the palace four years ago.
Michael received a £60,000 (AUD $122,274.90) payout upon his departure from Charles’s foundation in 2021.
It came shortly after he reportedly secured British citizenship and a knighthood for Saudi businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, who donated more than £1.5 million to royal charities, in 2016.
The Mail on Sunday reported Mr Fawcett, in a 2017 letter to Mahfouz’s aide, wrote the honour was given to him “in response to the most recent and anticipated support (of) The Trust, and in connection with his ongoing commitment generally within the United Kingdom”.
This prompted a criminal complaint and a police inquiry, with a summary report in December 2021 stating Mr Fawcett had coordinated with “fixers”.
The Metropolitan Police reportedly concluded its investigation into the scandal in 2023, stating no further action would be taken.
At the time, a spokesperson for the King told the BBC: “The Prince’s Foundation has noted the decision of the Metropolitan Police.
“Following the conclusion of its own independent investigation and governance review last year, the charity is moving forward with a continued focus on delivering the education and training programs for which it has been established,” the spokesperson said.
Charles’ latest meeting with Michael comes amid family tensions after the King’s wife Queen Camilla was said to have “irritated” her husband over her request to include a library in a Buckingham Palace overhaul.
A palace insider on Sunday told Radar Online Camilla has made it “clear” to Charles she wants a library included in the £369 million renovation of the palace, which began in 2017 and could take a decade to complete.
“The size and expense of the renovation are already weighing heavily on him, and her demand for an additional room drives him to distraction,” the insider said, highlighting the pair being at loggerheads over the decision.
As the renovation is said to weigh down Charles, he is also dealing with the ongoing feud between his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
The Prince of Wales last week told comedian Eugene Levy the strain with his estranged younger brother “overwhelms” him.
“You know, worry or stress around the family side of things that does overwhelm me quite a bit… When it’s to do with family and things like that, then that’s where I start getting a bit overwhelmed,” William said.
“As I think most people would, it’s more about feeling, it’s more about upsetting the rhythm.”
The admission follows Harry’s meeting with Charles in the UK last month for the first time in 18 months, a move William was said to be against.
The once-close brothers have barely been seen together since Harry and his wife Meghan Markle stepped down from royal duties in 2020.
Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022 marked their last public appearance side by side.