Anthony Pratt, a prominent Australian billionaire, has revealed that advisers to Prince Charles requested him to cease making payments to the future king to avoid creating the “appearance of anything.” The recorded audio, made public by Nine newspapers, captures Pratt discussing substantial donations made to the Prince of Wales. He explained that Prince Charles’s advisers asked him to contribute the funds to the Prince’s trust as they were close to ascending the throne and wished to maintain the integrity of the monarchy.
Pratt expressed the view that Prince Charles was concerned about public perception and wished to avoid any association with impropriety. This perspective may be linked to a past incident involving allegations of a cash-for-honours scandal where a former aide to the Prince was accused of attempting to secure a knighthood for a wealthy Saudi donor in exchange for financial support.
Additional audio recordings feature Pratt highlighting his substantial wealth as a valuable asset in his relationship with Prince Charles, characterizing it as his “superpower.” He also described the future king as “undervalued political stock.” It’s important to clarify that no allegations of impropriety or wrongdoing regarding these payments have been suggested.
These revelations follow previous reports concerning Pratt’s associations with notable figures, including former US President Donald Trump, and former Australian prime ministers Paul Keating and Tony Abbott. Reports have suggested that Trump privately disclosed discussions with world leaders and shared details of military operations, including airstrikes on Iranian-backed militants in Iraq. Trump angrily dismissed these claims, stating they were “fake news.”
The relationship between Trump and Pratt had been amicable, with Trump assisting in the opening of a new Pratt Industries paper plant in Ohio in 2019. The former president referred to Pratt as a “friend” and praised his success. Pratt’s relationship with Buckingham Palace and Prince Charles is yet to be commented upon.
