The secret pact between Prince William and Kate Middleton after their brief breakup, according to royal expert
It was the first time Prince William and Kate Middleton had been completely alone since their breakup in the spring and William told islanders it was the best holiday he had ever had.
Secluded on the paradise island of Desroches in the Seychelles, Kate and William filled their days with kayaking and snorkeling in the coral reefs at the five-star resort.
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Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
Royal donor ‘offered access to Prince of Wales for cash'
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 Prince 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. The Royal Charity Polo Cup match is an exclusive event where charity donors can watch Prince William play polo. 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. 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 the Prince and Princess of Wales are passionate about, including Wales Air Ambulance, Child Bereavement UK, Place2Be, Action for Children and The Royal Marsden.
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding in Venice is attended by Queen Rania of Jordan and her family as King's wife stuns in a glitzy Armani couture dress
Queen Rania of Jordan turned heads as she stepped out in an extravagant designer gown to celebrate Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos 's $46 million nuptials this weekend. The royal, 54, was snapped as she was helped by several security men onto a water taxi in Venice alongside her daughter, Princess Iman, as they joined other A-listers in celebrating the Amazon billionaire's three-day wedding. Over the multi-day event, Rania has continuously put her best fashion foot forward and has been seen sporting designer brands from Armani to Fendi. On Friday, she brought her fashion A-game as she proudly sported her new Armani gown from the Italian brand's spring/summer 2025 couture collection. The Queen had all eyes on her as she donned the regal metallic multi-coloured strapless dress, which was adorned with elegant pink floral details from top to bottom. The classy, tulle frock grazed her ankles and she paired it with a grey shawl which was elegantly wrapped around her shoulders. Rania - who is married to King Abdullah - opted to pair her glamorous ensemble with diamond jewellery and a cream patterned clutch bag, as to not draw focus away from her designer look. She wore her lengthy caramel brown tresses down in her signature bouncy blow-dry and opted for Hollywood glamour makeup with smokey eye-shadow and pale pink lipstick. Boarding the water taxi alongside Rania was her daughter, Princess Iman, 28, who donned a bespoke Oscar de la Renta green butterfly-detailed chiffon dress. She wore her brunette tresses slicked back in a tight bun and paired her chic outfit with FerriFirenze sole gold earrings, previously worn by her mother. Rania was seen departing from Venice Marco Polo Airport in a stylish outfit after a lavish past couple of days celebrating Sanchez and Bezos in one of the most romantic cities in the world. She wore a white REMAIN Birger Christensen cutout stretch-organic cotton-jersey top paired with black Alo suit up trousers. To accessorise, Rania opted to wear a black Jacquemus 'the medium bambola' asymmetric bucket bag, complete with black Emporio Armani sunglasses. This was a much more relaxed look in comparison to Thursday's ensemble, where Rania stepped out in a regal Fendi frock that was seen on the fashion house's Autumn/Winter 2018 Couture Collection catwalk. The shimmery sleeveless taupe dress certainly turned heads as the mesh tulle layer was embroidered with diamantes, which glistened in the warm Italian sun. Rania wrapped a cream shawl around her shoulders and paired her ensemble with blush pink pointed heels. The Queen was the picture of elegance as she wore her caramel brown hair in a low ponytail, with two curled strands sitting along her cheeks and opted for glamorous makeup, donning smoky eye shadow, blush and pale pink lipstick. Her son Crown Prince Hussein, 30, was also in attendance alongside his wife Princess Rajwa and their baby daughter, Princess Iman, who is less than a year old. The family made a rare and unexpected appearance in Italy for Lauren and Jeff 's big day and were snapped heading from the quay into a water taxi after flying into Venice's Marco Polo airport. Crown Prince Hussein held Princess Iman - who was wearing a Tartine Et Chocolat daisy embroidered dress - in his arms as the pair waited for their transport. To keep the extraordinary gown as the main focus of her ensemble, she kept her accessories relatively simple, adding a plain ream clutch bag, a simple silver bangle and hoops. Rania's relationship with Bezos has spanned almost a decade and she first met the tech founder alongside her husband at the Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman in 2016. Rania was also present at Lauren and Jeff's engagement party onboard their $500 million yacht Koru. Princess Rajwa, 31, opted for a casual and unassuming outfit consisting of a Kayla chocolate shrunken linen shirt paired with a Citizens of Humanity 'Brynn' brown drawstring linen trousers. She also donned a Bottega Veneta 'Hop' large intrecciato-weave brown suede shoulder bag, Alexander McQueen logo trainers. To accessorise, donned a Rajwa Khaite x Oliver Peoples 1983C Cat-Eye sunglasses in Bordeaux Bark and 0.50ct heart shaped ruby and blackened gold single 'Gypset' hoop earring, which she paired with the 0.20ct diamond and gold version. The pair have joined A-listers such as Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Orlando Bloom, Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey for the extravagant three-day gathering, which will come to a close on Saturday. Lauren and Jeff were pictured at one of their many wedding events held at the Madonna dell Orto cloisters. But the couple and their famous guests were forced to take cover on Thursday as their pre-wedding party was hit by a huge freak thunderstorm. Guests dived for cover under the vaulted cloisters as lightning bolts flashed across the sky and thunder rumbled overhead at the end of what was a torridly humid day with temperatures nudging 36° Celsius. Torrential downpours and a strong wind left guests soaked as they then dashed for water taxis which had been scrambled a good 45 minutes ahead of the midnight finish time. The strong gusts of winds whipped table cloths away and sent waiters scurrying for umbrellas to protect the VIP attendees. One onlooker said: 'It just goes to show you can have all the money in the world but you can't control the weather - although an Italian saying says a wet bride is a happy and lucky bride.' Kim, 44, and her younger sister Khloe, 40, struggled to stay dry in their couture gowns as their security team guided them to their designated water taxi. Kylie, who is the younger half-sister of Kim and Khloe, reacted to the weather by sharing a photo of her rain-soaked water taxi to her Instagram Story. Bride-to-be Lauren was surrounded by tuxedo-clad gentleman carrying blue umbrellas over her as she carefully stepped on to her awaiting boat. The TV personality, 55, had on a striking off-the-shoulder dress with a dramatic gold corset cinching in her already tiny waist. Bezos, 61 - who popped the question in 2023 with a $3 million engagement ring - was seen following closely behind Lauren with an umbrella over his head. In footage obtained by Lauren appeared to be in high spirits despite the rain ending their soiree early. Once inside the water taxi, she was seen sharing a laugh with Bezos as the downpour intensified. The Amazon billionaire and his bride-to-be are said to have invited 200 people to their three-day Italian wedding. Along with Ellie Goulding, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ivanka Trump, the star-studded guest list includes Mick Jagger and Tom Brady. Earlier this week, a copy of the couple's invite was leaked with one very specific request made on behalf of the couple. They've asked guests not to buy them any presents and told them they'll be making donations to multiple charities working to stop Venice from sinking on attendees' behalf instead. Bezos is thought to be spending roughly $15 to $20 million on his and Lauren's Italian nuptials.
Times
11 hours ago
- Times
Royal donor offered access to Prince William at polo cup for £20k
The Prince of Wales has been forced to cut ties with a donor to his charities after she attempted to sell access to him for £20,000. Minerva Mondejar Steiner, a Filipina-Swiss millionaire whose art gallery was an official sponsor of William's annual charitable polo event, had offered a private meeting with the prince in exchange for cash. She also offered 'VVIP tickets' and 'access to royalty' for advertisers prepared to pay £50,000 to feature in a magazine handed out at the fundraiser. The Royal Charity Polo Cup match, taking place in Windsor next month, is an invitation-only event where millionaire donors can watch the prince play polo. They are expected to give to causes close to his heart, often writing cheques for hundreds of thousands of pounds. Mondejar Steiner, who was on the guest list, extended a 'strictly private and confidential' invitation to wealthy individuals belonging to a luxury concierge service. They were told that, in exchange for donations to her own philanthropic foundation, they could attend the event or even join her in meeting the future king himself. The email read: 'As a patron of the Mondejar Foundation, you are invited to support their philanthropic work through a charitable donation, in return for which you will be welcomed to this prestigious occasion.' It continued: 'Patron contributions: £6,000 — admission for one patron. £20,000 — includes full access plus a private audience with Prince William and Princess Catherine.' The email added that guests would also receive a 'luncheon' with 'free-flowing champagne', watch 'VIP polo matches in an intimate setting', attend an art exhibition, and mix with an 'invitation-only guest list of ultra-high-net-worth individuals, cultural icons and luxury leaders'. It added: 'The attached invitation is for your eyes only and not to be shared publicly or on social media.' The invitation was sent to the members of A Small World — a Swiss company once described as 'MySpace for millionaires' by the Wall Street Journal. In another document, Mondejar Steiner's team offered the opportunity to meet William to potential advertisers in a magazine to be handed to all those at the tournament. For £50,000, she said, she would grant companies a double-page editorial spread and two 'VVIP tickets', securing them seats at the tournament and 'access to the royals'. The disclosures threaten to cast a shadow over the competition, which has granted William an opportunity to play the sport he has enjoyed since childhood among friends, fellow royals, and longstanding supporters. The Guards Polo Club, whose presidents have included the late Prince Philip and whose patron was Elizabeth II, is based at Windsor Great Park, which historically served as a hunting ground for royals at the castle. The charity polo event has been operated on the basis of strict confidentiality and the palace tends to publicly announce William's involvement and publish photographs after it has taken place. This was the case for last year's event, where William was present but Kate, then undergoing cancer treatment, did not. That event raised £1 million for charity. The princess attended in 2023, presenting her husband with a trophy. William at last year's event SAMIR HUSSEIN/WIREIMAGE … and in 2023 Over the last 13 years, the heir to the throne has raised more than £10 million for causes including the Royal African Society, Mountain Rescue England and Wales, and the Motor Neurone Disease Association. The explicit nature of the emails has echoes of the cash-for-access scandals involving the King when he was Prince of Wales. Charles always insisted he had no knowledge of any fundraising deals, but was repeatedly found to have met donors who gave money on the explicit condition of meeting him personally or attending black-tie dinners at one of his residences. • Charles accepted €1m cash in suitcase from sheikh The emails also pose questions of William's operation, including the due diligence before Mondejar Steiner was granted the status of an official sponsor, or permitted to host an art exhibition and distribute her own magazine at the event. A Kensington Palace source said William did not 'condone' the behaviour outlined in the email and thanked The Sunday Times for bringing the matter to their attention. In the circumstances, they said, they had asked the club to terminate its relationship with the sponsor. The palace said it had no idea Mondejar Steiner was using the occasion to raise money for her own causes or promising access to William. In an unusually forthright intervention, the source said William did 'not condone the type of behaviour' in question and said there would be no 'cash for access'. They added they were only familiar with Mondejar Steiner's gallery, not her foundation, and did not know she was using the event to raise money for her own, rather than William's, projects, or that she had shared an invitation with a luxury lifestyle company. It is understood William will still be attending the event and a behind-the-scenes reception to thank 'those involved'. Asked what due diligence was done on sponsors of the cup, the palace source said that a secretariat at Buckingham Palace performed checks. It declined to say how much Mondejar Steiner had paid to become a sponsor or put on her own art exhibition at the event, saying the price charged varied. In company filings, Mondejar Steiner, 45, lists her nationality as Filipina and her country of residence as Switzerland. A self-styled 'collector and curator', she studied fashion in London in the early Noughties, then enrolled in an Oxford University further education institute to study art history between 2006 and 2008 before founding her eponymous Mondejar Gallery. Married to Michael Steiner, a Zurich-based film director, she is involved in cultural and philanthropic work. Last September she posed for photographs with the Duke of Sussex at the annual awards for WellChild, the charity for seriously ill children, in London. Weeks beforehand she met Benedict Cumberbatch at a screening of a film about the environment he was hosting, also posing for photos. She posted from the event on Instagram The source and scale of her wealth is unclear. Despite claiming to have an operation in the US, two entities to which she is linked in California have been struck off for failing to file accounts. She founded a property company in London in January, before incorporating her foundation as a 'community interest company' — a kind of non-profit — in April. Neither has a public presence or has published detailed information. It appears she had intended to use the polo event as the centrepiece of a fundraising drive for her commercial gallery and philanthropic work. Documents show she had prepared her own magazine, 1,000 copies of which, she told potential advertisers, would have been presented to 'ultra-high-net-worth' art patrons, collectors and 'institutional buyers' and placed on tables branded with her gallery's logo. Among her 'a la carte' advertising options was £50,000 for a double-page spread and access to royalty, £35,000 for the back cover and £30,000 for the inside front cover. Mondejar Steiner declined to comment. Sources close to her said she was prohibited from doing so as she had signed a confidentiality agreement barring her from speaking about the event until after it had taken place. The sources added that her principal goal was to raise money for the technical college founded by her father in her home city of Tacloban in the Philippines. Brunilde Le Jossec of A Small World said: 'To clarify, [our company] is not selling access, or facilitating any private meeting with members of the British royal family.' She added that it was approached directly by the Mondejar Foundation and asked to share details of their invitation to become a patron of the charity. 'Believing this a relevant opportunity to support a philanthropic cause, a representative of the events team proactively forwarded this to a small group of members, whom they believed would be interested in supporting this charitable cause,' she said.
