The Charity Commission in the United Kingdom has rejected a complaint that the Princes Foundation fo

The Charity Commission in the United Kingdom has rejected a complaint that the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment improperly intervenes in planning processes and that Prince Charles exerts too much influence over the foundation. Republic, an anti-monarchy group, had accused the foundation of overstepping its legal limits as a registered charity by trying to influence a number of planning decisions in Britain. Charles reportedly has used his sway to get developers to dismiss modernist architects from significant projects in London, such as a shopping complex designed by Jean Nouvel for a site next to Christopher Wren’s landmark St. Paul’s Cathedral. (See Oct.-Nov. New Urban News.) The Commission concluded that the foundation “does not improperly intervene in planning processes.” It also dismissed the claim that Charles exerts “inappropriate influence” on the foundation. However, the Commission said it would be talking to the foundation about how it managed public perception of the foundation’s operation and vision. Hank Dittmar, the foundation’s chief executive, said he was pleased by the outcome. He reiterated that “the Prince’s Foundation is an independent educational charity whose mission is to improve the quality of people’s lives through teaching and practicing timeless and ecological ways of planning, designing, and building.”