Playboy’s bizarre apology over ‘forged’ art: James Stunt says sorry to Prince Charles amid claims that paintings he loaned to the royal are fakes
- James Stunt has sent ‘huge apologies’ to Prince Charles after the allegations
- He said he has ‘the great fortune to call [Charles] a friend’, on social media
- The £50million Monet and Dali works loaned to Charles are thought to be fakes
- US artist Tony Tetro says he is behind a Claude Monet and two other paintings
Tycoon James Stunt (pictured with Petra Ecclestone) has given his ‘huge apologies’ to Prince Charles after the allegations he loaned him fake paintings
Playboy tycoon James Stunt yesterday apologised to his ‘friend’ Prince Charles over astonishing allegations that a £50million Monet he loaned to the prince was a fake.
The bankrupt gold bullion dealer allegedly agreed to lend a number of artworks to the headquarters of the prince’s charity, including the ‘Monet’ and a ‘Picasso’ actually painted by a notorious American art forger.
A number of paintings have now been removed from public view at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, home of The Prince’s Foundation. Royal sources accept that their ‘authenticity’ has been placed ‘in doubt.’
The loan agreements were apparently signed by Michael Fawcett, Prince Charles’ former valet who is now chief executive of The Prince’s Foundation.
Mr Stunt, 37, took to social media to launch a video rant after news of the scandal emerged late on Saturday night, insisting he would not deceive the Prince of Wales because he has ‘the great fortune to call [him] a friend’.
During the video, posted on Instagram, Mr Stunt insisted the artworks were genuine but added: ‘Let’s say they were fake. What is the crime of lending them to a stately home, [to] the Prince of Wales and putting them on display for the public to enjoy?’ He added: ‘I give my huge apologies to the Prince of Wales.’
Among his alleged fake pictures is a ‘Monet’ work of waterlilies which art forger Tony Tetro claims that he in fact painted the Monet – insured for £50million
He also referred to ‘the people at Dumfries House’, saying: ‘We are very, very close, extremely close… and I would never ever do anything to deceive them.
‘All financial transactions have been benevolent because I support the Prince’s Trust [and] I support the Prince of Wales. He’s a great man. I consider him to be a friend.’
Mr Stunt loaned 17 artworks on a ten-year free lease to Dumfries House, according to documents seen by the Mail on Sunday.
However, art forger Tony Tetro claims that he in fact painted the Monet – insured for £50million – put on display at Dumfries House.
The £42million ‘Picasso’ called Liberated Bathers is reported to be counterfeit, according to the Mail on Sunday
He told the Mail on Sunday: ‘You can impress your friends with my pictures, decorate your homes with them, but they would never pass expert scrutiny.’
Two other works which were on show – a £42million ‘Picasso’ and a £12million ‘Dali’ were also reported to be counterfeit by the Mail on Sunday. The artworks were said to not be forgeries of known paintings but painted in the style of the artists.
The scandal threatened to deepen yesterday amid allegations that Mr Stunt also loaned artworks to the Palace of Westminster, including a portrait on display in the House of Lords. Mr Stunt’s links to the prince are likely to raise eyebrows in Buckingham Palace owing to the flamboyant lifestyle of the businessman who is also the ex-husband of Formula 1 heiress Petra Ecclestone.
A ‘Dali’ titled Dying Christ is worth £12million and thought to be fake. All 17 paintings loaned to Dumfries House are said to have been returned to Mr Stunt, however the tycoon said that he has not received any
Prince Charles has become embroiled in a major art scandal
Mr Stunt, who was declared bankrupt in June, once boasted of owning 200 supercars and a £5million credit line in every major casino in London, Monaco, Las Vegas and Macau.
He says he is the godson of Terry Adams, head of Britain’s most notorious crime family. But he has clearly treasured his relationship with the prince, framing letters he has received from the palace and displaying them proudly in his office.
In an interview with Tatler last year, Mr Stunt boasted of his work with The Prince’s Foundation and described Mr Fawcett as a ‘lovely man’. He said he had loaned ‘works from the likes of Velazquez, Monet, van Dyck, Dali, Picasso and Constable’ over a two-year period.
The artwork has been removed from public view at Dumfries House (pictured) in Ayrshire, home of The Prince’s Foundation
However, Mr Tetro now claims three of the pieces hung in Dumfries House, including a ‘Monet’ of a waterlily scene, are his forgeries.
All 17 paintings loaned to Dumfries House are said to have been returned to Mr Stunt, however the tycoon said that he has not received any. Mr Stunt said: ‘I have not had this art returned and even if these were fake and again, I’m not saying they are, what crime has been committed by a painting being put on a wall?’
Dumfries House accepts many artworks on loan from donors but does not market itself on them and as such the authenticity of the paintings is not verified.
Mr Tetro and Mr Stunt are said to have met at a car rally and embarked on a friendship.
American artist Tony Tetro (pictured with his version of Salvador Dali’s Galarina), who was once sentenced to six months in prison for art forgery, said he had painted the pictures. He claims to have met Mr Stunt at a car rally and embarked on a friendship
The artist, who served a prison sentence for forgery in the 1990s, is later said to have sold Mr Stunt 11 artworks in the style of old masters.
A Prince’s Foundation spokesman said: ‘It is extremely regrettable that the authenticity of these particular paintings, which are no longer on display, now appears to be in doubt.’
Mr Tetro did not wish to comment further when approached by the Daily Mail yesterday. Mr Stunt could not be reached for comment.
The paintings had allegedly been knocked up on a kitchen table in California by Tony Tetro (pictured), a man who once served a prison sentence for art fraud
Controversial aide prince can’t do without
By Mario Ledwith
He was reportedly trusted to squeeze toothpaste on to Prince Charles’s brush when the heir to the throne was nursing a broken arm from a polo match.
So it is no surprise that Charles is said to remarked of his former valet Michael Fawcett: ‘I can manage without just about anyone except Michael.’
During more than 20 years working for the prince, Mr Fawcett, 56, has established himself as his right-hand man and trusted aide.
Prince Charles being guided by member of staff Michael Fawcett who started his royal service in 1981. He resigned in 1998 after a number of staff complained about his bullying attitude but was reinstated within a week (pictured in 2003)
He began his royal service in 1981 as a footman to the Queen, becoming sergeant footman and then Charles’s assistant valet. He resigned in 1998 when a number of the prince’s staff complained to Charles about his bullying attitude. But he was reinstated and promoted within a week.
In 2003, he was again forced out for supposedly selling official gifts on Charles’s orders. He was cleared of any financial misconduct by an internal inquiry, having been awarded a £500,000 severance packet.
Yet, remarkably, in 2018 he was appointed to the £95,000-a-year role as chief executive of Charles’s charity The Prince’s Foundation. Premier Mode, the events firm Mr Fawcett runs with his wife Debbie, 57, has received hundreds of thousands from the prince’s charities to help run events. The couple live in a £990,000 house in Hampton, west London.
Mr Fawcett reportedly played a key role in organising Charles’s lavish 70th birthday, a Buckingham Palace event hosted by the Queen. Last year, he was appointed a director of the Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts in east London.
He has previously worked as chief executive of Dumfries House Trust, the stately home in Scotland rescued by Charles.
Source: Read Full Article