Prince William is facing criticism from anti-monarchy campaigners over The Earthshot Prize after the Charity Commission confirmed it is assessing concerns raised about the charity’s sources of funding.
The intervention follows a complaint submitted by Republic, the anti-monarchy campaign group, which has called for scrutiny of Earthshot’s relationship with DP World and its chairman, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem.
As an anti-monarchy campaign group, Republic’s primary aim is to secure the abolition of the monarchy.
The complaint follows US reporting on newly released Epstein-related court files that reference a “Sultan bin Sulayem”. One email disclosed within the material, according to US reporting, contains the phrase “I loved the torture video”.
The originally released version was redacted, and no findings have been made against Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem.
A spokeswoman for the Charity Commission told GB News: “We are aware of concerns about sources of funding to The Earthshot Prize.
“We are assessing this information to determine any next steps and if there is a role for the Commission.”
The Charity Commission’s statement does not amount to a finding against Earthshot, and the regulator has not announced any outcomes.
Prince William under pressure as Charity Commission to review Earthshot funding complaint
|GETTY
The Commission said it is assessing the information provided to determine what steps may follow and whether it has a role.
Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, told the People's Channel: “William has lots of questions to answer about what he knew about Andrew and Epstein. And now he must explain his relationship with Sulayem.”
Mr Smith alleged that questions should be asked about what due diligence was carried out.
He claimed: “It is not credible to believe the Foreign Office, security services or other advisors were not aware of Sulayem's character and would have been able to advise accordingly.
LATEST ROYAL DEVELOPMENTS
Prince William launched the Earthshot Prize in 2020, which awards five innovative projects £1million each to combat critical environmental issues | EARTHSHOT“These files have been in the hands of US authorities for years. It's not believable that such intelligence would not have been shared.”
He continued: “Earthshot has a duty to do due diligence, to ask questions about donors and where money is coming from. Did they do that here?”
Mr Smith stated: “In the context of this widening scandal we need answers.”
DP World is listed as an official Earthshot partner on the prize’s website.
Prince William was in Brazil for the Earthshot Prize Awards last year
| GETTYMeanwhile, Earthshot and DP World have previously publicised a £1million commitment announced during Prince William’s 2022 visit to the United Arab Emirates.
At the time, Earthshot described DP World as a founding partner and said the £1million investment would be split between two finalists, with the funding intended to help scale environmental projects in the region.
Prince William has also visited DP World’s London Gateway port in Essex previously.
GB News has contacted DP World and Kensington Palace for a statement. The Earthshot Prize declined to comment.