William BortrickFRSA[1] (born 30 April 1973)[2][3] is a British genealogist who is the owner, chairman and editor of Burke's Peerage.[4]
Per the pedigree in the publication he edits, Bortrick claims descent from the fourthLord Borthwick through his daughter Margaret- who married the unrelated Sir John Borthwick, himself "of obscure origins ... not, as has been claimed, a son of William, third Lord Borthwick"-[5] via a branch resident in Ireland since the 1600s, primarily at Ballymena in County Antrim, where they were builders.[6][7][8]
In September 2021, Prince Charles's closest aide Michael Fawcett "stepped down temporarily" as chief executive of The Prince's Foundation,[11] after an investigation by The Sunday Times and the Mail on Sunday reported that he "offered to help to secure a knighthood and British citizenship" for a Saudi tycoon, who donated £1.5m to Prince Charles's charities.[12] Bortrick was named by The Sunday Times as the alleged fixer at the heart of the claims. Bortrick is said to have received thousands of pounds to secure the honour.[13] According to the Metropolitan Police, at least two complaints were made calling for an investigation into whether Prince Charles or Michael Fawcett breached the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925.[14] In February 2022, the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into the cash-for-honours allegations linked to Charles' charity The Prince's Foundation.[15][16]