The King’s wife was spotted on Tory donor Syrian-Saudi Wafic Said’s boat Zenobia while travelling to some of the Mediterranean country’s most select tourist hotspots

Camilla was seen enjoying the sunshine on board Zenobia(Image: Humphrey Nemar/ Daily Mirror)

The King’s wife was spotted on Syrian-Saudi Wafic Said’s boat Zenobia while travelling to some of the Mediterranean country’s most select tourist hotspots. With the Royal Family meant to be strictly apolitical, Camilla being spotted on a Tory billionaire donor’s boat will be seen by many as sending out the wrong message.

And while there is no suggestion the King’s 78-year-old wife has done anything wrong, accepting hospitality from someone so influential in the world of politics is not a good look. It also comes at a time when millions of ordinary Brits are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis – and King Charles has spoken about cutting back on royal extravagance.

The Queen was on board the yacht in Zea Marina in Athens, Greece(Image: Humphrey Nemar/ Daily Mirror)

Camilla was seen on Syrian-Saudi Wafic Said’s £30million boat Zenobia in a bay off the coast of Greece this week. Former Lib Dem minister Norman Baker, author of a new book on finances called Royal Mint, National Debt, said: “Members of the Royal Family really ought to consider the public perception of such episodes, whether they are on holiday or official business.

“They are representing the country at all times and, let’s be honest, it’s not as if they are short of cash. This is not a good look for Camilla, especially when the relationships between the royals and their associates are rightly called into question.”

Queen Camilla is not thought to have been joined on Zenobia by Charles. He was at the Mey-Highland Games last Saturday. Mr Said – who brokered the record multi-billion-pound Al Yamamah arms deal between Saudi Arabia and the UK in the mid-1980s – was not onboard. The Al Yamamah arms deal was subject to an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office, but the probe was discontinued in 2006.

The vessel is owned by the Tory donor (Image: Martin Lynch)

The 85-year-old, who is at number 85 in The Sunday Times Rich List with a £1.9billion fortune, was a significant donor to the Tories before rules were changed in 2000 to allow only those on the UK electoral register to give parties cash. He was a very close friend of former PM Margaret Thatcher. His wife of 56 years Rosemary is still a Tory donor. Experts say it is crucial the Royal Family remains apolitical.

Their neutrality means the Crown can help secure smooth handovers of -political power and restrain abuses. Charles holds weekly meetings with PM Keir Starmer, but he is not allowed to vote in elections. Other royals are in theory allowed to vote but have chosen not to, underscoring their political neutrality.

The Royal Family website says that “while The King is the Head of State, he remains politically -impartial”. It adds: “The Monarch remains politically neutral on all matters, but he is able to ‘advise and warn’ his ministers, including his Prime Minister, when necessary. These audiences are private.”

Rosemary, a UK citizen, made donations to the Conservative Party totalling more than £2m since 2015. Records show her most recent gift, for £8,000, was made in March 2024.

The lavish Zenobia was travelling to some of the Mediterranean’s hotspots (Image: Humphrey Nemar/ Daily Mirror)

This followed a donation of £66,800 in April 2022 and another of £250,000 in December 2021. Mrs Said, whose father gave cash to the Conservatives, was one of more than 40 donors who paid £9,854 each for a virtual table at a Tory Summer Party with Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak on Zoom in 2020.

In 2005, the couple’s daughter Rasha, then 19, was recorded as giving £47,000 to the Conservatives. She later admitted she did not personally have enough money to fund the huge donation, sparking claims the youngster had unlawfully acted as a proxy for her father. The Tories later insisted the money had come from Rosemary and an Electoral Commission inquiry found there had been no wrongdoing.

Zenobia, which is thought to have been named in honour of a third Century Syrian Queen, can house up to 12 guests in six cabins. It has room for a further 13 crew. The 57-metre long vessel resembles a luxury hotel inside with opulent looking fixtures and fittings, luxury wood panels and modern looking art on the walls. It also has an outdoor dining area and is understood to include its own library, which doubles as a cinema room.

Mr Said has homes in England, including Tusmore Park in Oxfordshire and London’s Eaton Square. But he is understood to have primarily lived in the Mediterranean tax haven of Monaco, where Zenobia has its registered address, for many years.

Camilla is not thought to have been joined on Zenobia at any time by King Charles(Image: Getty Images)

He is a benefactor of the Conservative Middle East Council, a parliamentary body that organises fact-finding trips to the region. Mr Said reportedly gave Mrs Thatcher the run of one of his homes in her later years and named a new wing at the Said Business School in her honour following her death in 2013.

He also has significant links to King Charles. In December 2019, a dinner was held at Clarence House, “given by the Prince of Wales in honour of Wafic Said and his charitable work, and to mark his 80th birthday”.

Mr Said was also invited to take part in the traditional carriage procession, led by Charles and Camilla, at Royal Ascot last year and he was also seen laughing with the monarch in the Royal Box.

The Said family were a founding patron of the Prince of Wales Charity Foundation, now called King Charles III Fund. Mr Said was born in Damascus. Syria, in 1939 and lived there until his early 20s before leaving for Switzerland to work in banking.

He later founded TAG Systems Constructions and is said to have made much of his fortune by investing in large-scale construction projects in Saudi Arabia in the 1970s. As well as the Said Business School, he also co-founded the Said Foundation, a charity which offers educational support to young people from countries like Syria.

Wafic Said and his wife with Tory leader Margaret Thatcher

In 2016, Mr Said was debanked by Barclays, amid claims bosses were concerned about holding accounts linked to “high-risk countries”. He later launched legal action against the bank.

Mr Said last night said: “The Parker-Bowles family have been close friends of mine for over 40 years. Tom Parker-Bowles was at school with my son, and Tom and Laura are like -children to me. We have remained friendly with both Brigadier Parker-Bowles [Camilla’s ex-husband Andrew] and the Queen ever since.

“It is natural for me to offer my boat to close friends when I am not using it. I was therefore pleased to offer it to the family and glad to learn she is enjoying time with her children and grandchildren.

“On my past work, particularly Al Yamamah: in 1983 the then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, asked me to advise on negotiations with the Saudi government. I remain proud to have been part of what she called her team “batting for Britain” to secure this historic defence contract.

“The deal, Britain’s largest ever export agreement, generated around £43billion for UK companies and supported over 30,000 UK defence jobs.

“To those who criticise my role… would they rather I had declined, and the contract gone elsewhere? I have never bought or sold so much as a penknife, and any claim otherwise would be false and damaging.

“In 2016, Barclays wrongly closed my accounts, believing I was resident in Syria. After I sued the bank apologised publicly, confirmed no wrongdoing by me or my family, and contributed to my legal costs in defending my interests in this case.

“I have made no donations to the Conservative Party since becoming non-resident in the UK. My wife, a lifelong Conservative voter, has done so, which is a matter of public record. I do not see how her political affiliations are relevant to our friendship with the Parker-Bowles family.”