From left:  Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Princess Eugenie, Prince Andrew Duke of York, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Beatrice and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh arrive at the Castle of Mey.

 

LONDON — A wooded area at a castle formerly owned by Britain’s Queen Mother has been renamed in honor of a wealthy Saudi businessman who reportedly donated £370,000 ($574,092) to its restoration.



The woodland, located to the east of the 15th Century Castle of Mey, in Scotland, will be renamed Mahfouz Wood in honor of Dr Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, the Daily Mail reported.



Castle Mey was previously owned by the late Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. Mahfouz made the donation to The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust and his generosity will also see the erection of six benches around the castle’s grounds, with plaques bearing the names of his family.



Ashe Windham, chairman of the trust and the Queen Mother’s former equerry to the castle, announced Mahfouz’s donation in the Friends of the Castle of Mey annual newsletter. “He has a particular interest in the architecture and history of Scotland, hence his valued support for The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust. His Excellency has been wonderfully generous to the trust and his support is enabling us to press ahead with some of the capital projects,” Windham said.



Mahfouz has a longstanding connection with the UK. He holds the title Lord and Baron of Abernethy and last year made a donation toward the restoration of Dumfries House, where a garden and fountain were named in his honor.



He also set up the UK-based charity Mahfouz Foundation in 2012, which aims to “advance the education of the public in the United Kingdom in the culture, history, language, literature and institutions of the Middle East.”



Mahfouz is the second son of Sheikh Marei Mubarak Mahfouz bin Mahfouz and his wife Sheikha Khadejah Omar Abdullah bin Mahfouz and has been the CEO of the Marei Bin Mahfouz Group since 2001, a commercial and industrial group based in Makkah and which specializes in hotels, manufacturing and trade services throughout the Middle East. — Agencies