Originally published at: If you want a British knighthood, just bribe Prince Charles' charity, like this Saudi tycoon did | Boing Boing
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I’m willing to bet this Saudi sleazeball isn’t the worst person who bought this less-than-Excellent Order from Chuck.
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If more comes out on this, we might very well get Prince William as next in line instead of Charles…
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An unofficial honorary title sounds like an oxymoron. If nobody can know that you have it, do you really have it?
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Have you heard you can become a lord just by visiting this website? /s
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Why would I want a British knighthood?
Do I get a discount at Marks & Spencer?
Or at least a lifetime supply of sneakers . . .
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It’s not like anyone is expected to win it through single combat these days.
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Obligatory pedantry: being appointed CBE doesn’t confer knighthood. You would need to be KBE (Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for that. Or GBE. Or appointed a Knight Bachelor in addition to the CBE. And if the holder isn’t a British (or other Commonwealth realm) citizen then a knighthood would only be an honorary one anyway.
Obligatory historical context: in the political realm, honours have been more or less openly sold for ages, in return for party donations. Lloyd George had a more-or-less standard price list. Not known for royals to do it themselves, though.
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Shouldn’t there be quotes around charity?
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Surprisingly, in this cesspit of a nation, the Prince’s Trust is actually a proper charity with a good reputation intended to help young people into education and work.
Since everything is for sale, the going rate to become a Lord is to donate £3 million to the Conservative Party and then pick a peerage - 22 of them in the last 11 years.
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“That rabbit’s dynamite!”.
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That’s not pedantry, a CBE is not a knighthood, and the headline is terrible.
Oh, bugger. I pendanted your pedantry. Sorry old chap.
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Is Britain really still an Empire?
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No a “funeral-pyre”…
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As an American, I am confused by the word “honorary” in the title “honorary Commander of the British Empire”. Does that mean that he doesn’t get to command the British Empire the way the full CBEs can?
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Well there’s Gibraltar and the Falklands…
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I love how the photo on Wikipedia makes it look like the two of them are toy action figures, posing with such articulation.
source: (Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz - Wikipedia)
Also, the Wikipedia page is quite concise at pointing out the various aspects of his philanthropy.
Mahfouz met Prince Harry in 2013 and 2014 and donated £50,000 to his charity Sentebale and £10,000 to Walking With The Wounded, of which Harry is patron.[14] Harry stated in 2021 that he severed ties with him in 2015 after expressing “growing concerns” about his motives, though aides from his father’s household denied having any discussions with him regarding Mahfouz.[15]
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Naturally, there’s an xkcd for this…
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