Charity accused of ‘crude hustling’ over £40k charge to sit with William
ONE of Prince William’s favourite charities was last night accused of ‘crude hustling’ after offering wealthy supporters the chance to meet the Duke in exchange for donations of more than £40,000.
Centrepoint allegedly contacted a group of super-rich donors ahead of a gala dinner at Kensington Palace this week. The charity – which supports young homeless people – promised access to the Duke of Cambridge in return for sizeable donations.
Those willing to fork out were offered a seat at the top table for Thursday night’s annual event, which will also include the presentation of the Centrepoint Awards. It is understood one wealthy philanthropist was advised that £50,000 would be enough to have an award named after him.
A source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The charity reached out to a number of wealthy donors, giving them the chance to pay £40,000 and upwards to have a special reception with the Duke at the dinner. One of the people I spoke to was promised a seat at the top table with His Royal Highness in return for making a cheque out to Centrepoint for £40,000. These are long-standing donors who have been very loyal to the charity, but there is a feeling among some that this is more hustling than fundraising.
‘Centrepoint is raising money, which is great – but they are using the Prince in a frankly crude way.’
Kensington Palace declined to comment on the offer.
The Duke is Centrepoint’s patron and will deliver a short speech at the dinner, as well as present awards to young people who have been helped by the charity. He is scheduled to spend two hours at the event, which last year raised £1.5million. Headline acts this year include Phil Collins, Craig David, Ellie Goulding and Dirty Vegas, while Centrepoint ambassador Jonathan Ross is hosting the evening.
The cost of producing the night is expected to be close to £400,000. Standard tickets, which are sold out, cost £1,250 and £1,100, depending on how close they are to the stage. Corporate tickets were being sold for £3,000 and £5,000 each. Centrepoint last night confirmed that several guests had made private donations but declined to say if those donations included access to the Duke.
A spokesman said: ‘Some guests have kindly chosen to make donations in addition to the ticket price. We are not in a position to provide details of private donations.’ When questioned further about the cash-for-access allegations, Centrepoint appointed the Red Consultancy PR agency, which said: ‘We are not aware of such an email, nor would we authorise an approach of this kind to any prospective donor or supporter.’
British philanthropist Debra Reuben, the wife of property magnate David Reuben, one of the richest men in the world, is sponsoring the evening.