Prince Michael of Kent brings shame on the royal family
The queen’s cousin Prince Michael of Kent has been accused of using his royal status for profit and to seek favours from Russian President Vladimir Putin
SHE’S always been known for her unflappable attitude – come what may, no matter what life throws at her, Queen Elizabeth just soldiers on. But after what’s happened in recent months, many are wondering how much more the 95-year-old British monarch can be expected to shoulder.
The death of her beloved husband, Prince Philip, was a traumatic blow but instead of being able to get on with mourning her loss she’s having to wade in to try to sort out all kinds of dramas. If it’s not her grandson Prince Harry ruffling feathers as he continues his public feud with the family, it’s her son, Prince Andrew, giving her even more grey hairs with the embarrassing fallout from his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
And now there’s another scandal brewing: her cousin Prince Michael of Kent was caught red-handed trying to cash in on his royal status for personal gain and offering to use his clout to seek favours from Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Michael, whose father, Prince George, was the brother of the queen’s father, King George VI, was caught out when undercover reporters set up a fake South Korean gold firm and approached five members of the royal family with an offer of work.
While his relatives wisely steered clear of the dodgy deal, Michael (78), who speaks fluent Russian and is known to have strong ties with the country, jumped at the chance.
In a recorded Zoom call he explained that he could be hired for £10 000 a day (R200 000) to help the fictitious firm make inroads in Russia.
He also revealed that for the princely sum of £143 000 (R2,8 million) he’d be willing to allow them to record him at his home in Kensington Palace, where Prince William and Kate also live, offering his royal endorsement of their endeavours.
But it was made clear in the negotiations by the prince and his friend and business partner Simon Isaacs, the Marquess of Reading – that although Michael was willing to pull strings in Russia, this part of the deal should be kept under wraps.
“We’re talking relatively discreetly here because we wouldn’t want the world to know that he’s seeing Putin purely for business reasons, if you follow me,” Simon told the undercover reporters.
He went on to describe Prince Michael as “Her Majesty’s unofficial ambassador to Russia”, adding that recent tension between the two countries hadn’t affected his relationship with Putin.
But now that the conversation has been aired for all the world to hear, Michael has been frantically trying to backpedal.
A spokesman says that while the prince has “long-established business, charitable and cultural connections” with Russia, he last met Putin in 2003 and has “had no contact with him or his office since then”.
So then why make the offer? This is the part that Michael is having a hard time explaining.
THIS is hardly the first time Prince Michael and his wife, Princess Michael of Kent (76), have brought the Windsor name into disrepute. The princess, who was born a baroness of German, Austrian, and Hungarian descent, is a member of the noble Reibnitz family and can trace her ancestry way back to 1288.
She’s hardly modest about her blue-blooded connections and once declared to that she has “more royal blood in her veins than any person to marry into the royal family since Prince Philip”.
She has a track record of statements and actions that have been a source of deep embarrassment for the family.
In 2004, she was accused of racially insulting black diners at a restaurant in
New York. A spokesperson acknowledged that the princess had been angry at the group, who were seated near her, but denied that she’d told them to “go back to the colonies”.
In December 2017, she was criticised for wearing a brooch with an offensive figure of a black man to a Christmas banquet at Buckingham Palace at which Meghan was present.
And a few months later her daughter’s former partner revealed that she’d owned a pair of black sheep that she named after tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.
Despite their privileged positions, the Kents, who have a son Lord Frederick Windsor (42) and daughter Lady Gabriella Kingston (40), claim to be perennially short of cash.
Prince Michael isn’t a working royal and doesn’t receive income from the sovereign grant, a status that effectively forces him to work as a “business consultant”.
Although his personal consulting company, Cantium Services, has recorded income of more than £2,2m (R44m) in the past five years, he claims that most of the money was paid out in salaries, meaning it operated at a small loss.
In 2002 there was a public outcry after it was revealed that the couple had been living at Kensington Palace rent-free. Eventually, to avoid further embarrassment, it was agreed that they’d pay a rental of £10 000 (R200 000) a month for their luxurious accommodation but the couple clearly weren’t happy about it.
“I’m in very austere economic times,” Princess Michael complained in a 2013 interview with British newspaper The Independent.
“We’ve cut back dramatically. I mean, we never go out to dinner unless we go to somebody’s house. We never go to restaurants. That’s too extravagant. We invite people here. I cook.”
But you definitely wouldn’t guess that they’re struggling from the designer clothes Princess Michael wears.
She’s said to have one of the most extensive wardrobes of any royal, as well as a love of driving around in luxury cars.
You can see why it would be tempting for her husband to draw on his Russian connections to keep her in the style to which she’s accustomed.
A former Russian diplomat has revealed that the prince, whose grandmother Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna was a first cousin of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, is referred to as “Kentski” in Moscow and “has significant connections among influential businesspeople”.
British journalist David Smith recalls how he witnessed the prince being treated like a “cult hero” during a 2004 tour of the country – apparently people are enthralled by his uncanny resemblance to Tsar Nicholas.
“In Russia he’s feted by tycoons, flown in private jets – the closest thing they have to a king,” Smith says.
Michael has made no secret of the fact that he feels a strong connection to the country.
“I identify with Russians without any effort. I feel on the same wavelength,” he says.
But this love affair may end up costing him dearly. Some say at the very least the queen should ban him from attending royal banquets and other formal functions.
An insider says these events offer Michael the chance to hobnob with the rich and powerful and make valuable business contacts.
The source adds that the way the queen saw it, these were some “breadcrumbs” she was able to throw to her cousin to “allow him to maintain his lifestyle”.
But it wasn’t enough. Michael got greedy – and now it seems those so-called “crumbs” might be taken away.
‘WE’VE CUT BACK DRAMATICALLY. WE NEVER GO TO RESTAURANTS. THAT’S TOO EXTRAVAGANT’