Thanks! Unfortunately, it is not the first time that a member of the royal family sells 'access'; but to sell access to the highest echelons of Russia makes it even more problematic. As well as the prince recalling a (business) meeting with the undemocratic leader of Belarus.
Based on this description, it seems it isn't the first time they've used this tactic: especially the part where the prince leaves the call, so his best friend can do the more dirty work of selling the prince and the access he can provide. And also the fact that his private secretary is fully involved is telling.
This paragraph is also interesting: apparently, he was not the only one they tried to 'catch'. They were unsuccessful in the other 4 attempts(!) - but they don't share who else they tried to trick:
The Zoom call was part of a wider undercover investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches programme into how members of the royal family have been selling their connection to the monarchy for personal profit. Three other royals turned down the offer of work for House of Haedong and one did not reply.
I wonder whether any 'sanctions' will be applied/measures taken to reduce the appeal of this royal prince in his business dealings.
The BBC has video of the Prince accepting a fee of $200,000 (£143,000), and to use his home at Kensington Palace as a backdrop.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57042823
I'm appalled at such disgraceful behavior, especially given his age and decades of experience as member of the Queen's family.
Was the video removed (and if so, who ordered it to be removed?!) or is it just me who cannot see it on the BBC page nor in the archived version of the Telegraph article.
These are allegations. They may be true or they may not. I'm not aware that Prince Michael and Vladimir Putin are best buddies, so, even if Prince Michael was willing to accept money for arranging introductions, I'm not convinced that he'd be able to bring those introductions about. Putin does, rather strangely, seem to have a thing about royalty, but I think that's because he likes the idea of Peter the Great as the leader of a strong Russia: I'm not convinced that he'd be over-excited by a connection to Prince Michael of Kent, a rather minor member of the British Royal Family and distant relative of the tsars.
The office denied things after being caught; when they didn't know about the undercover action, they were presenting themselves quite differently. And even if they may not have recently met, they clearly are in touch. Imho, it would be rather weird if they didn't at least meet in 2009 when Michael received his Russian order.
This paragraph provides evidence for close relationships (N.B. 'that year' is 2013):
In June that year Reading organised a Sambo event in hired rooms at Kensington Palace. According to the sport’s federation, it had two patrons: the prince and Putin. The event, reported to have cost £3,000 a head, was a contact-building exercise at which oligarchs and Kremlin figures could mingle with British high society in one of the Queen’s palaces.
And why wouldn't the president be interested in one of the queen's cousins whose grandmother was a Russian grand duchess; who speaks Russian fluently, travels frequently to Russia, and is the royal among the BRF who is most interested in his Russian roots. He surely would have been pleased if one of the queen's children would show the same interest; but other than that, he is doing pretty well in terms of 'royal connection' by having one of her HRH-cousins with 'substantial Russian family connections' be interested in Russia (ignoring all sanctions; because he is 'above politics and diplomacy' according to his friends) and therefore, its president.
