Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, Lord of Abernethy ( ar, محفوظ مرعي مبارك بن محفوظ) (born 14 December 1969) is a Saudi Arabian businessman living in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Mahfouz is the executive officer of Saudi-based Marei bin Mahfouz Group, founded by his father Sheikh Marei Mubarak Mahfouz bin Mahfouz who is one of the richest men in Saudi Arabia. He is the holder of the

Lordship A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordship, the functions of econ ...

and Barony of

Abernethy Abernethy may refer to: Places Scotland * Abernethy, Perth and Kinross, a village ** Abernethy (NBR) railway station, a former railway station in this village * Nethy Bridge, Highland, a village formerly known as Abernethy * Abernethy Forest, ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

Biography

Mahfouz holds a law degree from

King Abdulaziz University King Abdulaziz University (KAU) ( ar, جامعة الملك عبد العزيز) is a public university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. With over 117,096 students in 2022, it is the largest university in the country. Located in south Jeddah, the univ ...

, and a Master of Laws from the American University of London. He was awarded Knight Grand Cross in the Companionate of Merit of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem (GCMLJ) in June 2013. He was made Foundation Fellow at Pembroke College, Oxford, and was made inaugural Bredon Fellow of

Wolfson College, Cambridge Wolfson College () is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The majority of students at the college are postgraduates. The college also admits "mature" undergraduates (aged 21 and above), with around ...

in July 2013. The Mahfouz Building at Pembroke College, Oxford was named after him, as was the HE Dr Mahfouz bin Mahfouz Room in the Chancellor's Centre at

. He was admitted to the

Freedom of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom o ...

in December 2013. He was a Vice-President of the

British Forces Foundation The British Forces Foundation is a British charitable foundation, launched in May 1999 by comedian Jim Davidson (comedian), Jim Davidson OBE to support the well-being of the members of Britain's British Forces, armed forces through the provision of ...

. In November 2015, then Foreign Secretary

Philip Hammond Philip Hammond, Baron Hammond of Runnymede (born 4 December 1955) is a British politician and life peer who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019, Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, and Defence Secretary from 2011 to 2014. ...

was criticised for accepting a watch worth £1,950 from Mahfouz. The watch was given as a gift after the unveiling of a statue of

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

to mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta. Ministers are not allowed to accept gifts worth more than £140 but Hammond claimed he was advised that the event was a constituency one, not a ministerial one, and therefore the rules for ministers did not apply to him on that day.

Cash-for-honours allegations

The Mahfouz Fountain and Garden at

Dumfries House Dumfries House (Scottish Gaelic: ''Taigh Dhùn Phris'') is a Palladian country house located in the town of Cumnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It is within a large estate, around west of Cumnock. Noted for being one of the few such houses with ...

was named after him, and was opened by Prince Charles on 21 October 2014. In 2015 it was revealed that a wooded area near the Castle of Mey had been renamed Mahfouz Wood in honour of Mahfouz who reportedly donated £370,000 to its restoration. He is an Ambassador and Community Patron for

The Prince's Foundation The Prince's Foundation (formerly the Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture until 2001, the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment until 2012, and the Prince's Foundation for Building Community until 2018) is an educational charity est ...

. Mahfouz met

Prince Harry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succ ...

in 2013 and 2014 and donated £50,000 to his charity

Sentebale Sentebale is a registered charity founded in 2006 by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. Sentebale helps children and adolescents struggling to come to terms with their HIV status. It provides a safe environment for them t ...

and £10,000 to Walking With The Wounded, of which Harry is patron. 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. He was awarded an honorary

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 2016 "for services to charities in the UK". It is claimed that

Michael Fawcett Michael David Fawcett (born 6 November 1962) is a former senior valet to Charles, Prince of Wales who today consults on various royal projects. Career Royal household Fawcett began his service to the British royal family in 1981 as a footman ...

fixed the CBE for Mahfouz who donated more than £1.5 million to royal charities. Prince Charles gave Mahfouz his CBE at a private ceremony in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace in November 2016, though the event was not published in the Court Circular. In 2017, Fawcett expressed in correspondence a willingness to see Mahfouz's honour upgraded to a KBE and to support and contribute to his application for citizenship. In reaction to the story, former

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

Norman Baker Norman John Baker (born 26 July 1957) is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lewes in East Sussex from the 1997 general election until his defeat in 2015. In May 2010 he was appointed ...

wrote to Metropolitan Police Commissioner

Cressida Dick Dame Cressida Rose Dick (born 16 October 1960) is a British retired senior police officer who served as Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis from 2017 to 2022. She is both the first female and first openly homosexual officer to lead the M ...

urging a police inquiry. In February 2022 the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into the cash-for-honours allegations linked to Charles' charity The Prince's Foundation.

Gallery

Mahfouz Fountain and Garden at Dumfries House.jpg, The Mahfouz Fountain and Garden at

The Mahfouz Fountain plaque.jpg, Plaque at

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahfouz, Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin 1969 births Living people King Abdulaziz University alumni Fellows of Wolfson College, Cambridge Fellows of Pembroke College, Oxford Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Saudi Arabian businesspeople People from Mecca Saudi Arabian expatriates in the United Kingdom