the times | Tuesday July 21 2020 2GM 21
News
The charitable foundations of the Duke
and Duchess of Cambridge and the
Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been
reported to the Charity Commission
for alleged conflicts of interest and
inappropriate use of funds.
Republic, the anti-monarchy cam-
paign group, has asked the watchdog to
investigate the Royal Foundation and
Sussex Royal over money transfers.
One grant of £145,000 was made by
the Royal Foundation, which used to be
the main charitable organisation for
both the Cambridges and the Sussexes,
to help Harry and Meghan to set up
Sussex Royal. Another grant of
Call for inquiry into dukes’ charity funds
£144,901 was made to Sussex Royal to
fund the “continued development” of
Travalyst, Prince Harry’s sustainable
tourism initiative. It was boosted in
April by a further grant of £6,955.
The transfers followed the Sussexes’
decision to leave the Royal Foundation.
Sussex Royal is now being wound up
because the Duke and Duchess of
Sussex can no longer use a royal brand.
Graham Smith of Republic said the
grants to Sussex Royal and Travalyst
appeared “unethical and underhand”
because the money was given for one
purpose but used for another.
In a letter to the Charity Commission
he wrote: “These two charities appear
to be in breach of guidelines regardingthe proper use of charitable funds and
may be failing in their duty to act inde-
pendently and solely in the interests of
their objectives.”
Schillings, the Duke of Sussex’s law-
yers, said that the false claims about the
duke and his charitable work were
deeply offensive and defamatory and
insulting to the people and organisa-
tions that he had worked with. It added
that the duke had never had any per-
sonal financial interest in his charitable
work. “The interest has always been
clear: to support others and to make a
positive difference.”
Both charities also said that the
grants were made in line with charity
rules and were reported transparently.The Royal Foundation’s annual report
said: “The Royal Foundation agreed to
provide financial and operational
support during the period of transition,
as well as providing a home for legacy
projects set up by the Duke and Duch-
ess of Sussex.”
Sussex Royal is being replaced by
Archewell, a non-profit group that is
due to be launched next year. All assets
from Sussex Royal are being trans-
ferred to Travalyst, a non-profit organi-
sation, which works with the private
sector to change how travel affects local
communities.
Travalyst was co-founded by Book-
ing.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, Trip-
advisor and Visa, and is listed as alimited company at Companies House.
Funds donated cannot go to the partner
companies or be paid out in dividends.
Sussex Royal said: “Grants made to
the non-profit organisation Travalyst
are for the ongoing development of
projects that will support communities,
wildlife and the environment through
sustainable travel and tourism. All
grants have been made impartially and
objectively, fully in line with govern-
ance requirement.”
The Charity Commission said: “As
with all concerns raised with us we will
assess the information provided to
determine whether or not there is a role
for the commission. We have not made
any determination of wrongdoing.”Valentine Low
W
hen it
finally
takes to
the skies
Britain’s
sixth-generation fighter
jet is set to control a
swarm of unmanned
combat drones known as
“loyal wingmen” (Lucy
Fisher writes).
Britain’s attempt to
develop a fighter that
can be flown with or
without a pilot gathered
pace yesterday as it was
bolstered by the support
of leading defence and
technology companies.
The country’s future
combat air system,
known as Team
Tempest, has attracted
almost £2 billion in
investment. It is aimed
at replacing the
Typhoon fighter jet and
is set to enter the RAF
fleet from 2035.
The programme
began two years ago and
won distinction in itsfirst phase for designing
a generator that delivers
unprecedented electrical
power.
Ben Wallace, the
defence secretary, told
the online Farnborough
international air show:“When you attract the
very best of British
engineering and design,
technological leaps like
these are guaranteed.”
The big companies
signing a partnership
are GEUK, GKN, CollinsAerospace, Martin
Baker, Qinetiq,
Bombardier and Thales
UK, along with British
universities and smaller
companies.
Italy and Sweden have
also signed up to workon the programme,
which is racing a
Franco-German scheme
to develop a European
sixth-generation fighter
jet. Many defence
analysts expect the two
programmes to merge.
This year a formal
decision must be made
about its design. The
RAF favours retaining a
piloted mode but there
is growing pressure in
other quarters for it to
be solely unpiloted.
Justin Bronk, combat
air research fellow at the
Royal United Services
Institute, said he was
sceptical about the
viability of a full-scale
piloted fighter jet funded
through the Ministry of
Defence’s budget, and
pointed out that pilotless
aircraft would be
cheaper. Such a model
would not be allowed to
“select its own targets
and go rogue”, he added.
By next year Tempest
will employ 2,500 highly
skilled engineers and
programmers.Tech firms
help pilotless
fighter to get
off ground
The Tempest fighter jet is
due to enter RAF service in- The Hawker Tempest
played a key role during
the Second World War
BAE/MINISTRY OF DEFENCE