King Charles’ distant royal relative is facing questions after he organized a luxury vacation for the Russian oligarch believed to be Putin’s favorite industrialist while he was under US sanctions.
The father of the socialite Alexandra Bowes-Lyon is the third cousin of the king. In February 2021, she hosted a retreat for Oleg Deripaska on a “pristine and private” safari in Kenya.
Mr Deripaska, 55, had been sanctioned by the US three years earlier for his ties to the Kremlin.
The royal relative is the director of elephant charity Space for Giants USA, which has hosted fundraisers at Kensington Palace and Clarence House, according to The Times. As director, she organized the three-day invitation-only trip, which featured lion, cheetah and elephant viewing.
“Lexi”, 37, has lived in New York since 2011, when she joined Christie’s auction house. Mr Deripaska has been described as part of Vladimir Putin’s “inner circle”.
Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska (pictured) has been treated to a luxury holiday as an “elite donor” to charity Space for Giants USA – with which the director has royal ties
Socialite Alexandra Bowes-Lyon (pictured), who is related to the king, is facing questions about organizing a luxury vacation for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska
Mr Deripaska landed his private jet in Nairobi before boarding a plane alongside his bodyguard, a butler and an executive at Rusal.
Once Russia’s richest man, oil tycoon Mr Deripaska rose to fame in Britain when he received Labor grandee Lord Mandelson on his yacht in Corfu.
The tycoon resigned as director of Russian energy giant EN+ Group and United Company Rusal after being hit by the sanctions.
His estimated maximum wealth was £28 billion and he owned several million properties and private jets. Deripaska is accused of amassing his fortune through blackmail, blackmail and ordering the assassination of a rival – which he has always denied.
The sanctioned oligarch was organized by an affiliate of the charity, Journeys for Giants, and is believed to be co-sponsored by both Ms Bowes-Lyon and the charity’s founder and chief executive officer, Dr. Max Graham, to have been welcomed.
Mr. Deripaska was invited to the charity as an elite donor. The charity receives hundreds of thousands in grants from the UK government.
Mr Graham, 45, told The Times: “We are unable to confirm or deny that Space for Giants has or has not breached US sanctions in relation to Safari 2021 as no relevant authority has ever ruled on this has.”
“What we can say is that no Space for Giants company, either Lexi Bowes-Lyon or myself, has ever knowingly or intentionally violated sanctions.”
Oil tycoon Oleg Deripaska (right) is considered Vladimir Putin’s (left) favorite industrialist.
He added that the charity is assured that it is not a criminal suspect and is playing the role of a “cooperative witness”.
A spokesman for the Charity Commission said, “We can confirm that, in accordance with our guidance, Space for Giants filed a serious incident report in November 2022 to confirm it has complied with US authorities.”
The US Treasury Department prohibits any citizen, resident, or entity from engaging in financial transactions and other dealings with “specially designated nationals.”
Anyone who does so can face up to 30 years in prison.
SFG has confirmed it received money from Deripaska after the US sanctions were imposed, but said the funds were deposited into its UK account – before sanctioning Mr Deripaska.
Mr Deripaska, 55, has been sanctioned by the US for his Kremlin links (left)
In 2020, SFG listed its “corporate and charity partnerships,” which included Mr. Deripaska’s Rusal.
Mr Graham said the charity was “fully committed” to complying with all international, national and local laws.
Deripaska was born in Siberia in 1968 but grew up with his grandparents in Krasnodar after his mother left home to find work. He was drafted into the Red Army before graduating in nuclear physics from Moscow State University in 1993, just as Soviet Russia was collapsing.
A spokesman for Deripaska issued a statement saying he found it “deeply disgusting” that journalists were making up “sensational rubbish”.