"Barron, thank you for supporting the ideals of neoclassical architecture."
"This is as it should be, Your Highness. In these aspects, you have set an example for us with your own actions."
At the event, Barron met the Prince of Wales and made a private donation of £100,000 to his project.
In fact, during his long career as Crown Prince, the Prince of Wales has been extremely keen on charity. He has established more than a dozen charitable organizations, collectively known as "The Prince's Charity", which raise huge amounts of money each year to provide support in many areas such as education, environmental protection, construction, elderly care and the disabled.
Interestingly, in 1998, he and his two sons William and Harry attended the commemoration ceremony of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Canada...
His Majesty the Crown Prince at the time might not have expected that many years later, his daughter-in-law Meghan would become the first person of color to marry into the royal family, challenging the royal family's traditionally conservative ideas.
In the field of architecture, the Crown Prince is not interested in the modern urban architectural style dominated by glass and concrete, and is committed to promoting the neoclassical architectural style.
He advocated preserving the classical charm of centuries ago in the core area of London. In order to recognize his contribution to London's architecture, the London Painters' Guild appointed him as "Honorary Painter".
Just like today's charity fundraising event, it is organized by his foundation specifically for the protection of Haiti's historical features.
"Your Highness, I have read many of your discussions on the neoclassical architectural style and was greatly inspired. I also agree that this style of preserving classical architectural design is very necessary."
Hearing Barron's words, the Prince of Wales smiled and looked at the conference hall, saying with relief:
"This is the meaning of what I do. Only when more people agree with me can I change society."
"I have heard that, Your Highness, King's Cross is about to undergo a large-scale transformation. There are many buildings left over from the Victorian era there. I think that using the neoclassical style to design the buildings during the transformation will become a model for this type of transformation project."
The Prince of Wales said with a look of surprise on his face,
"Oh? Really? I know that the expansion of the St. Pancras International Railway Station there is almost completed, but I didn't know that the renovation project of the entire King's Cross area has been established. However, more than ten years ago, the residents and non-governmental organizations there hoped to renovate the King's Cross area, but the plan has been shelved. If this plan can really be launched, it is indeed necessary to consider the preservation of those Victorian architectural styles. I will take the time to inquire about the relevant information..."
At this point, he glanced at Barron:
"Why are you so interested in this, Barron?"
"Your Highness, because our family has a piece of land with abandoned gas tanks there. I wonder if you remember them, the 'conjoined triplets'..."
"Oh, I remember. I saw it when I passed by there. It turned out to belong to your family."
"Yes, Your Highness, because I got inspiration from your neoclassical architectural style, so I also thought of applying this architectural style to the renovation of those abandoned gas tanks. If it can be completed in conjunction with the renovation of the King's Cross area and unified with the overall renovation style, it seems to be a good idea."
Barron's words made the Prince of Wales' eyes light up:
"This is indeed a wonderful idea, Barron, I think it is worth a try, and then I will call the district government to ask if this is possible."
He looked at Barron again, patted him on the shoulder, and said with relief:
"To be honest, your current appearance reminds me of the first time I met your father... In fact, I have known your grandfather for a long time, and our friendship has lasted for a long time. When I learned that your family had suffered misfortune, I was very sad. Barron, now I can see that you are gradually revitalizing the family. It is really a happy thing."
"It's a pity that those damned liars are still at large."
The Prince of Wales nodded.
"Not only your family, but many others have also been harmed, including many nobles. I called Scotland Yard specifically to express my disappointment with their work... But I can reveal one thing here, Barron. We have made a lot of progress in the investigation of this case. I believe we will soon find the fraudsters and recover the money they stole."
"Thank you, Your Highness. I will continue to pay attention to this matter. The Cavendish family cannot be offended in this way."
"These are what I should do. With the advent of the new century, everything is changing, but our traditions and honor are the most precious things and we need to protect them together."
The Prince of Wales patted Barron on the shoulder again and said kindly:
"The Duke of Devonshire's family has a glorious history. I hope that this glory can continue in your hands. Barron, if there is anything I can help you with in the future, please feel free to call me directly. You have my number... In addition, you are about the same age as William and Harry, so you can keep in touch with them in the future."
"Thank you, Your Highness. I will keep your teachings in mind. The other two princes are both outstanding people. It is a great honor to be their friend."
…
Regarding the "London Star" case, not only the Devonshire family, but also many nobles suffered varying losses. However, Barron's family was one of the ones that invested the most.
The Prince of Wales also received feedback from Scotland Yard on the progress of the case mentioned. After cooperating with Interpol and international anti-money laundering agencies, Scotland Yard obtained more information about the "London Star" fraud gang.
First of all, the main culprit, William Abagnale, does exist, and Interpol has no other criminal records for him, so he should be the main culprit. Judging from his performance in the "London Star" fraud case, he is either a criminal genius or there is a very experienced organization behind him to carry out the crime.
Moreover, news came from America that William Abagnale had indeed worked on Wall Street, and his previous claims about his "successful investments" on Wall Street were also a mixture of truth and lies, an extremely clever packaging method.
The main members of the "London Star" scam left London one after another when the last cycle of investment was about to expire. Before that, for "investment" reasons, they often traveled abroad, including to the United States, Australia, India and other countries, so this did not attract attention at the time. Among them, William and others took the opportunity to go to Romania in Eastern Europe, and then their whereabouts could not be traced.
Scotland Yard believes that they either transferred through other means or changed their identities and used fake passports to leave there. After all, the supervision on these things in that place is extremely weak.
It was not until a week after these people left that, faced with increasing demands from clients to redeem their investments, the peripheral members who were kept in the dark delayed the process as requested by the core members. Then someone could no longer bear it and called the police. Only then was the largest fraud case in Britain in the new century, involving 500 million pounds, uncovered.
Barron also hopes that the Prince of Wales will catch the fraudsters sooner or later, but the funds he mentioned will be recovered? I'm afraid the hope is slim. From what we have discovered so far, the funds that have been transferred have gone through a very professional money laundering process. The financial case department of Scotland Yard is still cooperating with international anti-money laundering agencies to track down their final destination. I'm afraid that with the passage of time, hundreds of millions of pounds have been quietly changed in the huge international underground money laundering network.