Prince Michael Of Kent To Return Russian Honour Amid War On Ukraine

etcanada.com:

Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, Prince Michael of Kent, is returning his Russian honour. Prince Michael was awarded the Order of Friendship by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2009.

But with Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, he has decided to return it. “I can confirm that HRH Prince Michael of Kent is returning his Russian Order of Friendship,” a spokesman said to the Daily Express. “There will be no further comment.” Prince Michael of Kent, who is 52nd in-line to the British throne, is related to Tsar Nicholas II through his grandmother. READ MORE: Prince William And Kate Middleton Thanked By Ukraine President Zelenskyy For Support Amid Russian Attacks According to his website, he is patron of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce and has connections to many “charity, arts and humanitarian organizations in Russia.” Last year, the Sunday Times had a report accusing Prince Michael of selling access to Vladimir Putin’s regime when he was filmed by two undercover reporters pretending to be South Korean businessmen looking for contacts in the Kremlin.

He reportedly offered to use his royal endorsement in exchange for a fee. His business partner allegedly called Prince Michael “Her Majesty’s unofficial ambassador to Russia” on a Zoom call.

His spokesperson at the time said, “Prince Michael has no special relationship with President Putin. They last met in 2003 and he has had no contact with him or his office since then.” READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth Makes Private Donation To Ukraine Relief Efforts A number of members of the Royal Family have shown their support for Ukraine including a rare, private donation from the Queen, messages of support from Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan