William Bortrick

William Bortrick FRSA[1] (born 30 April 1973)[2][3] is a British genealogist who is the owner, chairman and editor of Burke's Peerage.[4]

Per the pedigree in the publication he edits, Bortrick claims descent from the fourth Lord Borthwick through his daughter Margaret- who married the unrelated Sir John Borthwick, himself "of obscure origins ... not, as has been claimed, a son of William, third Lord Borthwick"-[5] via a branch resident in Ireland since the 1600s, primarily at Ballymena in County Antrim, where they were builders.[6][7][8]

He studied history at the University of Oxford,[9] and Wolfson College, Cambridge.[10]

In September 2021, Prince Charles's closest aide Michael Fawcett "stepped down temporarily" as chief executive of The Prince's Foundation,[11] after an investigation by The Sunday Times and the Mail on Sunday reported that he "offered to help to secure a knighthood and British citizenship" for a Saudi tycoon, who donated £1.5m to Prince Charles's charities.[12] Bortrick was named by The Sunday Times as the alleged fixer at the heart of the claims. Bortrick is said to have received thousands of pounds to secure the honour.[13] According to the Metropolitan Police, at least two complaints were made calling for an investigation into whether Prince Charles or Michael Fawcett breached the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925.[14] In February 2022, the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into the cash-for-honours allegations linked to Charles' charity The Prince's Foundation.[15][16]

On 16 February 2024, Bortrick was disqualified by the Charity Commission from being a trustee or senior manager at any charity for 12 years.[17] In one instance, the Charity Commission found that a desk and bookcase had been bought for £16,000 using the Burke's Peerage Foundation's charitable funds, and were then kept and used at Bortrick's home.[17]

References

  1. ^ "THE WOLFSON REVIEW 2020–2021" (PDF). Wolfson College, Cambridge. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  2. ^ https://www.burkespeerage.com/new_records.php?record=BORTHWICK_Lord
  3. ^ "William BORTRICK". Companies House. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Day-by-day account of how Prince Charles's aides fixed a CBE for Saudi billionaire". The Times. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  5. ^ https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-55909?rskey=x3Pm9U&result=1
  6. ^ https://www.burkespeerage.com/new_records.php?record=BORTHWICK_Lord
  7. ^ Irish Builder and Engineer, vol. 70, 1928, p. 18
  8. ^ The Belfast Gazette, 28 October 1955, H.M. Stationery Office, 1955, p. 308
  9. ^ "Chairman". Burke's Peerage. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  10. ^ "OFFICERS NUMBER–LENT TERM 2008" (PDF). University of Cambridge. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  11. ^ Low, Valentine (8 September 2021). "Prince Charles has 'no knowledge' of cash-for-honours allegations". The Times.
  12. ^ Pogrund, Gabriel; Gadher, Dipesh (4 September 2021). "Prince Charles aides fixed CBE for Saudi tycoon who gave £1.5m". The Sunday Times.
  13. ^ Grierson, Jamie (19 September 2021). "Prince Charles 'cash-for-honours' scandal grows with fresh allegations". the Guardian.
  14. ^ Scobie, Omid (7 September 2021). "Buckingham Palace's Statement Regarding Cash-for-Honors Allegations". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  15. ^ @metpoliceuk (16 February 2022). "We have launched an investigation into allegations of offences under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. Decision follows an assessment of a Sep 2021 letter, related to media reporting alleging offers of help made to secure honours and citizenship for a Saudi national" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ^ "Breaking: Met Police investigate cash-for-honours allegations against Prince Charles' charity". City A.M. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Charity Commission disqualifies former trustees of genealogy charity and recovers £113,000". gov.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2024.