Queen Elizabeth's cousin has denied having a "special relationship" with Russian President Vladimir Putin after an undercover investigation by British media said he was willing to use his royal status for personal gain.
A joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4 saw reporters approaching Prince Michael of Kent posing as investors of a fake South Korean gold company seeking contacts in the Kremlin to further its business in Russia.
Channel 4 will air the investigation in the UK on Monday evening, local time, in an episode of its current affairs program Dispatches called Royals for Hire.
However, clips from the undercover investigation were posted on Channel 4's Twitter account reveal snippets from the recorded conversations.
Prince Michael allegedly told the reporters by Zoom that he would give their company his royal endorsement in a recorded speech for a fee of $US200,000 ($254,000).
The 78-year-old said he was happy to use his home in Kensington Palace as a backdrop for the endorsement.
The royal's business partner, Simon Reading, also reportedly told the fake investors that the prince could be hired for 10,000 pounds ($17,800) a day to make "confidential" representations on behalf of the fictitious gold firm, House of Haedong, to Mr Putin.
"If [Prince Michael] is representing the House of Haedong, he could mention that to Putin and Putin would find the right person who is interested in South Korea or interested in gold," Mr Reading told undercover reporters.
"It just opens the door, you know, which is so helpful."
He went on to describe Prince Michael as "Her Majesty's unofficial ambassador to Russia".
Mr Reading said tension between the UK and Russia had not affected Prince Michael's relationship with Mr Putin.
'A good friend, trying to help'
Responding to the report, Prince Michael's office told Channel 4 he "has no special relationship with President Putin".
The two men last met in 2003 and Prince Michael "has not had contact with him or his office since then", the statement said.
His office pointed out Prince Michael "earns his own living through a consultancy company that he has run for over 40 years".
"Lord Reading is a good friend, who in trying to help made suggestions which Prince Michael would not have wanted, or been able, to fulfil," his office said.
Mr Reading has said he regretted his "over-promise" in trying to facilitate an introduction to Michael.
"I made a mistake and over-promised, and for that I am truly regretful," he told reporters.
"I wasn't at my peak as I was recovering from a kidney transplant."
Who is Prince Michael?
Prince Michael's father was the fourth son of George V, the brother of the Queen's father George VI.
He and his wife, Princess Michael of Kent, are not working royals.
They receive no public funds, but they are involved in some public duties including representing the Queen at an average of 200 engagements a year, according to the monarchy's website.
Prince Michael has represented the Queen at state funerals in India, Cyprus and Swaziland in the past.
His biography links Prince Michael to Russia through his maternal grandmother, and he is the first member of Britain's royal family to learn Russian.
He is involved in charity work in Russia and is patron of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce.
"Related through his grandmother to Tsar Nicholas II, Prince Michael has always had a strong emotional attachment to Russia, which he first visited in 1992, following the collapse of communism," Prince Michael's website says.
"His family background, his knowledgeable interest in Russia and its history and his mastery of the language have all helped to make him a respected figure in that country."
ABC with wires
