Prince William Scraps Ties With Sponsor Accused of Offering ‘Access' To Royals
Minerva Mondejar Steiner's gallery was reportedly assigned as the official sponsor for Prince William's Royal Charity Polo Cup match.
A wealthy gallery owner was reportedly selling 'full private" meetings with the Prince of Wales without his knowledge. As per the latest reports, Prince William has severed his ties with the individual as she was trying to sell private access to him in exchange for £20,000 (more than $27,000). Identified as Minerva Mondejar Steiner, the Filipina-Swiss millionaire art gallery curator was reportedly planning to offer private meetings with both William and Princess Kate at the upcoming Royal Charity Polo Cup match, scheduled for next month in Windsor.
The 45-year-old's gallery is said to be an official sponsor of the annual charitable polo event. On the other hand, the Kensington Palace was unaware of the sponsor's alleged activities until alerted by The Sunday Times report. She offered 'VVIP tickets and access to royalty" to advertisers willing to shell out money for a feature in her magazine, which was to be handed out at the event.
As per the emails seen by the outlet, Steiner had extended confidential invitations through the luxury concierge, A Small World, informing the guests that they could attend the polo match, enjoy lunch and champagne, view the art exhibition, and even meet the Prince and Princess of Wales, all in exchange for 'patron contributions."
'Patron contributions: £6,000 — admission for one patron. £20,000 — includes full access plus a private audience with Prince William and Princess Catherine. The attached invitation is for your eyes only and not to be shared publicly or on social media," a part of the email read.
As a result, William has terminated her sponsorship for the charity polo event. His brother Prince Harry has also severed ties with Steiner. Meanwhile, the Kensington Palace is now carrying out checks on the sponsors of the cup.
The Royal Charity Polo Cup is an exclusive, invitation-only event that will take place next month in Windsor. Over the past 15 years, the event has raised money for charitable causes supported by the Prince, who regularly takes part in it. Those in attendance get the chance to watch the Prince of Wales playing polo and also make donations to the causes.
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