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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
George Lithgow

Royal donor offered access to Prince of Wales for cash, reports say

The annual event raises money for charity (Jonathan Brady/PA) - (PA Archive)

The Prince of Wales has cut ties with a donor after she attempted to sell access to him for £20,000, reports have suggested.

Minerva Mondejar Steiner, a Filipina-Swiss millionaire, offered private meetings with William at the upcoming Royal Charity Polo Cup match in exchange for cash, the Sunday Times reported.

Her art gallery – the Mondejar Gallery – was an official sponsor of the annual charitable polo event which is taking place in Windsor next month.

Kensington Palace declined to comment.

It is understood that the Palace was unaware of what is being viewed as a rogue sponsor until alerted by the newspaper, and action was taken immediately.

William usually takes part in the match (Jonathan Brady/PA) (PA Archive)

The organisers of the event were not aware it was being used by the Mondejar Foundation to raise money, it is believed.

The Mondejar Foundation has been approached for comment.

The Royal Charity Polo Cup match is an exclusive event where charity donors can watch the prince play polo.

Among the guests at last year’s match was TV presenter and interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and wife Jackie, who were seen taking a courtesy golf buggy around the site.

The event raised more than a £1 million for causes that William and Kate are passionate about, including Wales Air Ambulance, Child Bereavement UK, Place2Be, Action for Children and The Royal Marsden.

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