The chief executive of a celebrated British children’s charity with Kate Middleton as its chief patron is a convicted murderer, something the royals reportedly were told about but kept to themselves when he was appointed to the position two months ago.
The shocking revelation came via published reports that showed Paul Carberry smiling and laughing alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales at an official charity function last year, nearly 30 years after he first joined Action for Children as a social worker following his conviction and release from prison. Although the royals were apparently unaware of his dark past at the time, Buckingham Palace was fully briefed on Carberry’s murder conviction when he was promoted to CEO this past March, according to the Daily Mail. A palace spokesperson has since told the publication the royal couple continue to have “complete confidence in his abilities as chief executive.”
Carberry, who was a 16-year-old gang member from Glasgow, Scotland when the 1979 murder allegedly occurred, was said to be traveling by train at the time with fellow gang members when he allegedly chased down and stabbed a passenger five times while brandishing a switchblade. The victim, a 21-year-old father-to-be whose fiancée gave birth two months later, bled to death. A second victim, who allegedly was stabbed while asleep on the floor, survived. Published reports indicated Carberry had been drinking at the time and that violence ensued when a member of his group attacked a woman aboard the train, which was carrying him and other soccer fans from Scotland to a match against a team in London, England.
Carberry later was tried as an adult and convicted of murder and served five and a half years behind bars, first in a youth facility and then in an adult prison before being released in 1985. He subsequently became a social worker and rose highly in the profession before joining Action for Children in 1994.
Carberry, now 60 and a married father of three, later became the charity’s national director for Scotland before being selected as CEO earlier this year. As head of one of the United Kingdom’s largest and most well-known children’s charities, he reportedly draws a salary equivalent of about $190,000 and rubs elbows frequently with politicians and royalty including the Prince and Princess of Wales. The royal couple took over sponsorship of the organization when the late Queen Elizabeth II began handing off some of her royal duties to them during 2016.
Carberry also serves on an organized crime task force in his native Scotland, where he often speaks publicly about the need to rehabilitate young people who have been drawn to a life of crime and gangs. Despite this, he appears to have spoken little of his own past prior to the details that emerged over the weekend. The Daily Mail has since quoted him as saying it’s something he “regrets every day” but has refrained from speaking about out of respect for the deceased victim’s family.
Action for Children has yet to post an official statement on its website or in any of its literature. However, a spokesperson reportedly said that the nonprofit’s board chair and trustees had “full knowledge of his past” when they appointed Carberry as CEO. “Chair Sarika Patel says he told her his time inside (in prison) was a turning point and although he couldn’t change what he did, he had dedicated his life and his rehabilitation to help vulnerable young people,” according to the reported comments.
One of the few other times Carberry appears to have discussed it was during a previous 1999 interview with the Daily Mail, when he reportedly admitted his “regret” at knowing that “some mother did not have her son because of me and some child did not have a father.” Carberry also told the interviewer that “I’ve had many opportunities to go on record and I’ve chosen not to” and that it’s something he reveals only on a “need to know” basis.
Both the deceased victim’s fiancée and their daughter have reportedly since died. The victim’s sister expressed her sadness over the weekend at knowing her brother “was denied the life and successes that Carberry has gone on to enjoy,” according to the Daily Mail.
The NonProfit Times attempted to contact Action for Children directly prior to publication of this story. However, a response was not immediately received.
