This story was actually on the periphery of an earlier gossip story involving Peter Phillips, grandson of the Queen and son of the Princess Royal. Back in March, when the UK was still under widespread lockdown orders, Peter made a 460-mile cross-country booty call to Scotland. He drove all of that way for some ass, and when his mistress’s neighbors called the cops on him for breaking lockdown rules, he explained it away by claiming he was in Scotland on “business.” That business? Some sort of vague PPE-supplier. Now we’re learning more about just how sketchy this whole business really is:
He is the member of British royalty famous for trading on his family connections, including starring in an advert for a state-owned Chinese milk company. Now, though, Peter Phillips’s status as the Queen’s grandson appears to have given him an advantage in a new and equally improbable sector: medical equipment to ward off Covid-19.
Today, it can be revealed that Phillips, 43, was fed down the “VIP lane” for PPE procurement at the height of the pandemic last year. At the time of his referral in March, he was acting on behalf of a medical company he had not yet formally founded. XF Medical has since become a government-listed supplier of Covid-related goods. It also remains publicly listed on the website of the Department of Health and Social Care, acting as free advertising to potential customers such as offices, restaurants and shops.
Phillips, a father of two and the Queen’s eldest grandchild, who is 16th in the line of succession to the throne, has no medical background or qualifications, having received a degree in sports science. The company website describes him as an “entrepreneur with a background in sports and entertainment”.
The disclosure that he received access to officials via the VIP lane was released as part of an action brought by the Good Law Project, a campaign group, against the government. An internal spreadsheet shows that Phillips first approached the government on March 26 last year, three days after the first lockdown began. At the time, he had not founded his company and had no apparent background in the sector. Nevertheless, he is recorded as offering PPE on behalf of two other companies. The first, Brand Avenue, now defunct, specialised in distributing products including biscuits and luggage. The other, HW Group, is listed at Companies House as providing care activities for the elderly.
Phillips is said to have told an official, whose identity has not been disclosed, that the companies could provide up to 500,000 masks a day. Brand Avenue became a supplier to NHS trusts, although neither company represented by Phillips received government contracts. In June, having had access to procurement officials, Phillips founded XF Medical, pivoting away from PPE and towards testing. Its website states: “We support the UK economy recovery by building public confidence, and certainty.”
This kind of thing happens here in America as well – some well-connected son of privilege decides to make a “bid” on a government contract and it takes years to unravel the financial shenanigans and impropriety. It sounds like Peter Philips saw dollar-signs as soon as Covid-19 became a global pandemic and he decided to find a way to cash in by using his royal connections. Much like he did with that Chinese milk advertisement. So… beyond Chinese advertising and sketchy pandemic schemes, wtf does Peter Phillips actually DO?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
Who exactly are those royal grifters again because it sure as hell ain’t meghan and harry
Peter Phillips….Prince Andrew….Prince Michael of Kent….
Trumps with titles and tiaras.
To be fair the entire clan has been involved in dodgy deals for decades. Occasionally one of them gets caught up and it becomes a “scandal” (SEE: Fergie’s endless schemes). The only difference is the Sussex’s have the most potential of all of them to be successful in working with actually known and board accountable organizations. Which in turn brings into question the whole idea of a taxpayer funded monarchy in the first place, and is in part why the monarch dependent media goes so hard on them ( the other part being pure racism of course!).
Decades? Try centuries.
Why doesn’t he provide masks for Granny?
One day, I would like an industrious reporter or blogger to list all the members of the royal family family who live off of The Crown. Whether it’s free housing or getting an allowance. Then break down what each of them actually DO to “contribute” to the monarchy and if they actually add value to the brand or if they are largely just leeches.
That would be interesting.
It’s like Jared hiring his cronies to procure PPE using their cell phones and Google.
A member of the royal family using his connections to make money!??!?!?
*clutches pearls*
The double standard and hypocrisy is stunning.
Peter is the guy who thought up the tea party on the Mall. He expected charity workers to cough up $100 for a ticket. The scheme was bailed out to the tune of $100K. Then it rained all day and no one showed up.
I’m sure he’s going to be busy planning the platinum jubilee….$$$
Andrew, Prince Michael, Peter Phillips. Slowly but surely the curtain is being pulled back. Even that story in The Guardian about the royals exempting themselves from laws. I wonder what ugliness the main act will reveal?
Honestly I need to start subscribing to The Guardian and actively supporting this work.
You can view all their content for free, they just ask for voluntary contribution (you choose the amount and one off or regular) or you can ‘subscribe’ and it’s ad free.
how are these people not rich ? Can’t the Queen give them money from her private wealth ? The monarchy is very confusing. So Only Charles and his first son get the wealth ?
I’ve said it on here before but people have strongly disagreed with me but I doubt anybody except the monarch and the heirs are cash rich. Emphasis on cash rich.
Yes some have got inheritances from the queen mother which they’ve probably invested really, really well but their lifestyles add up. The security, travelling between countries, maintaining estates if they’ve got them, the nights out, the school fees, the private members club fees, the cars, the clothes, their hobbies like shooting and equestrian are hardly cheap etc etc. Without taxpayer funding, the royal lifestyle cannot be sustained in the long term.
Again, they probably do have investments and have the top investment advisers but you don’t shill milk in China (Peter Phillips) and take £700 (around $987 in USD) a month in furlough money (Mike Tindall) unless it directly effects your bottom line.
I think they are all rich but not rich like people think when they think of the royals. Like, we know Peter is worth, what? 15 million? based on their divorce filings – that’s not chump change for most people. That’s rich. Its really just when you compare it to the money the Queen has that it doesnt seem like a lot. And they spend it.
The royal finances though are purposely very shady so we will likely never know exactly what kind of money this family has and how they got it. (meaning how someone like Peter got his money, we know about the milk and things like this with the PPE, but I’m sure there’s a lot we don’t know.)
I do think the Queen has set up trusts for all her grandkids and probably did so years ago.
Interesting what happens when there’s no Harry & Meghan news – the dogs turn to new prey.
Indeed. Must have a ‘supply’ er ‘target’.
Exactly.
This is why I think they are gearing up to throw the entire Middleton clan under the bus. With no Sussex’s to attack, some reporters are peeling the onion that is the monarchy and their government interference to benefit them and various scams of each member. They’re going to keep peeling unless they are given something else to feast on.
The Middletons are a perfect distraction because there is PLENTY to expose.
Is anyone surprised by this? But where’s the outrage from the press? Seems like Princess Anne’s children are always involved in some scam.
@ Amy Bee, that’s an excellent question!! Why is Tindall approved for business financial help when he fired everyone and he is getting government hand outs? What other businesses lost out due to his greed? As for the rest of the lazy bunch living off of the commonwealth taxpayers, what do they do to deserve funding? I don’t see them carrying out massive appointments for The Monarch, but they are still living off of the taxpayers!! Yet there is no money for the NHS or other organizations that are suffering tremendously, past and present, that are benefiting.
I am here for the utter pleasure of the dogs going after those that they once protected. They have had the taste of blood and they like it!!
Nothing to see here. Have you heard that Harry and Meghan have 14 bathrooms, though???
And tell me again how much their house cost.
This is the exact reason that Harry and Meghan should have been allowed to earn a living while still performing royal duties. It would have been a template for the other royals to earn money in a dignified and socially responsible manner, as H and M have done. Once again, the ball was dropped.
The cracks keep growing wider & wider. All the accusations they’ve thrown at H & M are exactly what they’ve been up to. **inserts eye roll emoji & angry face emoji here**