Ben Elliot, the Royal Albert Hall and the Prince’s Foundation

1. More on Ben Elliot, co-chair of the Conservative Party, and his roles at charities that run world-leading cultural assets in London.
2. In addition to his post as a trustee of the Victoria and Albert Museum (“V&A”) (see 12 March 2022 post), Mr Elliot is chair of the Philanthropy Board of the charity that maintains concert venue the Royal Albert Hall (“RAH”), the Corporation of the Hall of Arts and Sciences. Both the V&A and RAH are located in swanky South Kensington, central London.
3. At date of publication the Philanthropy Board is mentioned only once on the RAH website, where its members are listed (screen shot in Figure 1).

Figure 1. Philanthropy Board: Royal Albert Hall website at 11 March 2022

4. The Philanthropy Board appears to have been established in 2017, as it was first referred to in the RAH annual report for that year. Mr Elliot has been chair since then.
5. The Philanthropy Board, as its name suggests, is involved in fundraising. The latest annual report, for 2020, says: “The Philanthropy Board performs an introductory function, allowing the [fundraising] team to meet more potential supporters with an interest in the Royal Albert Hall.”
6. As Tory co-chair, Mr Elliot is party fundraiser.
7. Yet another of Mr Elliot’s interests is international group Quintessentially, which he co-founded in 2000 (see 12 March 2022 post). Mr Elliot remains as a director of Quintessentially, which provides a luxury concierge service for the super-rich.
8. Quintessentially has an office in Moscow, while its London service has previously boasted of its wealthy Russian clients. Further, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, the sanctioned billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club, was a member of Quintessentially.
9. It is reported that Quintessentially has now closed its Moscow office in the wake of Russia’s unprovoked and premeditated invasion of Ukraine.
10. Given Quintessentially’s Russian clients and Mr Elliot’s role at RAH, a couple identified as a “major donor” on the RAH website deserves scrutiny: Oleg and Galina Smirnov (screen shot in Figure 2). It is reasonable to ask whether the Russian couple are or have been Quintessentially clients.

Figure 2. Oleg and Galina Smirnov are a “major donor”: Royal Albert Hall website at 11 March 2022

11. Billionaire Mr Smirnov is co-founder of the SNS Group of companies, a leading distributor of cigarettes, energy drinks and other products in Russia.
12. In January 2016, the Tories received a donation of £100k from Global Functional Drinks Ltd, a UK subsidiary of Swiss firm Global Functional Drinks AG, which is in turn controlled by SNS Group.
13. The Smirnovs have also donated to the Prince’s Foundation, a scandal-hit charity registered in Scotland. Their donation went towards the charity’s Dumfries House in Scotland (screen shot in Figure 3).

Figure 3. Oleg and Galina Smirnov are “supporters”: Prince’s Foundation website at 11 March 2022

14. Prince Charles is president of the Prince’s Foundation. That the couple have also supported one of Prince Charles’ charities is another reason it is reasonable to ask whether they are or have been Quintessentially clients.
15. Mr Elliot is nephew of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who is married to Prince Charles.
16. Last year, Tory donor Mohamed Amersi alleged that Mr Elliot had arranged for him to have dinner with Prince Charles at Dumfries House back in 2013. At the time an “elite” member of Quintessentially, shelling out £15k per year, Mr Amersi went on to donate to Prince Charles’ charities. Mr Amersi says Mr Elliot via Quintessentially operates an “access capitalism” system. Others have called it “cash for access”.
17. Also last year, the Prince’s Foundation became engulfed in an alleged “cash-for-honours” scandal involving a billionaire Saudi donor, leading to the resignation of both its chair and chief executive. Charity watchdog the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator duly opened an investigation into the Prince’s Foundation and its governance. The investigation is ongoing.
18. In February 2022, the Metropolitan Police announced it, too, had begun its own investigation into the Prince’s Foundation.
19. There is no suggestion anyone has done anything illegal. For the avoidance of doubt, I am not anti-Russian.
20. I asked RAH the following three questions in emails. First, did Mr Elliot “introduce” the Smirnovs to RAH? Second, have the Smirnovs ever been Quintessentially clients? Third, how many of the potential donors “introduced” to RAH by Mr Elliot are or have been Quintessentially clients?
21. RAH didn’t answer the questions or provide a comment.
22. Meanwhile, I put the following two questions to the Prince’s Foundation. First, has Mr Elliot and/or Quintessentially ever arranged for Prince’s Foundation donors the Smirnovs to meet Prince Charles? Second, has Mr Elliot and/or Quintessentially ever arranged for any Prince’s Foundation donors, actual or potential, to meet Prince Charles?
23. Again, the Prince’s Foundation didn’t answer the questions or provide a comment.
24. Mr Smirnov didn’t respond to requests for comment, either. Nor did Mr Elliot.

The Insider reports my latest exposé of ex-gambling minister John Whittingdale MP

1. On 22 March 2022, the Insider news website reported my latest exposé of former gambling minister John Whittingdale MP (see 25 February 2022 post).
2. Here’s the report, “Former UK gambling minister did not seek permission for £1,000-an-hour second job”: http://www.businessinsider.com/former-minister-john-whittingdale-didnt-seek-permission-second-job-2022-3.

Camelot fined £3.15m

1. In the previous post, I suggested all is not well at Camelot, the Canadian-owned operator of The National Lottery since its launch in 1994. This was because charity GamCare is still re-assessing the operator, despite the expiry of Camelot’s accreditation in December 2021.
2. Well, the Gambling Commission has today (22 March 2022) announced it has fined Camelot £3.15m for three separate failures linked to its mobile app (https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news/article/national-lottery-operator-to-pay-gbp3-15m-fine).
3. Last week, Camelot failed to win the competition run by the Gambling Commission for the fourth National Lottery licence, which begins in February 2024.

Why is GamCare STILL re-assessing Camelot?

1. On 25 January 2022, I revealed that charity GamCare was continuing to list Camelot, the Canadian-owned operator of The National Lottery since its launch in 1994, as an assured business, despite the expiry of Camelot’s accreditation in December 2021.
2. GamCare amended Camelot’s entry in the list of assured businesses on the Safer Gambling Standard website, after I brought the matter to the charity’s attention (see 7 February 2022 post).
3. Meanwhile, on 15 March 2022, the Gambling Commission finally named Allwyn (see 13 November 2021 post) as Preferred Applicant for the fourth National Lottery licence, which begins in February 2024. Camelot was named Reserve Applicant.
4. That Camelot lost the licence after 30 years surprised many. Indeed, on 10 February 2022, the Daily Telegraph newspaper had confidently reported on its front page that Camelot would be unveiled as the winner of the competition to award the next licence.
5. Given what is at stake (pun intended), there has been much speculation as to why Camelot was unsuccessful this time. It may or may not be relevant, but at date of publication GamCare has still not decided whether Camelot should be re-accredited (screen shot in Figure 1). So why is the charity’s re-assessment of the operator taking so long?

Figure 1. Camelot: Safer Gambling Standard website at 18 March 2022

V&A trustee Ben Elliot hosts Quintessentially events at museum about exhibitions

1. Ben Elliot, co-chair of the Conservative Party, has been a trustee of charity the Victoria and Albert Museum (“V&A”) since 2017.
2. In 2000, Mr Elliot co-founded the global Quintessentially Group, and continues to serve as a director of UK-registered Quintessentially (UK) Ltd (“Quintessentially”). Quintessentially is a luxury concierge service for the super-rich: members access its “global network of personal lifestyle managers”, who “are ready to bring every wish, new and old, big and small, to fruition”.
3. In 2018, the V&A staged an exhibition about Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, which ran from 16 June until 18 November (“Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up”). On 18 June 2018, Mr Elliot hosted a Quintessentially event at the museum: “a special breakfast and behind-the-scenes talk” on the new exhibition (screen shot in Figure 1).

Figure 1. Quintessentially event at the V&A in 2018 for its Frida Kahlo exhibition: company website at 10 March 2022

4. The next year, Quintessentially members were invited to attend Mr Elliot’s event at the V&A to mark the opening of its Christian Dior exhibition, which ran from 2 February until 1 September (“Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams”). The Quintessentially breakfast took place on 21 March 2019 (screen shot in Figure 2).

Figure 2. Quintessentially event at the V&A in 2019 for its Christian Dior exhibition: company website at 10 March 2022

5. The V&A’s financial year runs from 1 April until to 31 March the following year.
6. The related-party transactions note in the V&A accounts made up to 31 March 2019 – the 2018 accounts – shows Quintessentially paid £1k to the charity that year – but the accounts omit to disclose the reason(s) for the transaction.
7. Both Mr Elliot’s event for the Kahlo exhibition and that for the Dior one occurred in the financial year reported in the 2018 accounts. Nevertheless the relationship, if any, between the £1k transaction and the two events is unclear.
8. Meanwhile, the related-party transactions note in the V&A accounts made up to 31 March 2020 – the 2019 accounts – reveals Quintessentially once more paid £1k to the charity the next year – but again no reason(s) for the transaction is reported.
9. Mr Elliot has multiple roles, and interests in multiple businesses. One such is Hod Hill Ltd (“Hod Hill”), which he owns and where he is one of two directors.
10. Jakob Widecki, the other director, used to work for Quintessentially, The Times newspaper reported in August 2021. In addition to his Hod Hill role, Mr Widecki has a post in Mr Elliot’s team at Conservative headquarters.
11. Incorporated on 8 May 2015, Hod Hill is opaque: the firm doesn’t have a website, for example. What’s more, Mr Elliot omits to mention Hod Hill in his Who’s Who 2022 entry.
12. However, the related-party transactions note in the V&A accounts made up to 31 March 2018 – the 2017 accounts – shows Hod Hill paid £1k to the charity that year. Again, the accounts fail to explain the transaction.
13. V&A trustee Mr Elliot is using his unpaid role at the charity to derive personal benefit via his commercial companies. It is astonishing the board of trustees is allowing this to happen. What’s more, the V&A is a world-leading institution, one whose trustees are appointed by the prime minister.
14. Equally concerning is the lack of transparency in the V&A accounts for the basis of the transactions between Mr Elliot’s businesses and the charity. The non-disclosure is unacceptable.
15. The V&A is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (“DCMS”), and a charity exempt from registration under the Charities Act of 2011.
16. There is no suggestion anyone has done anything illegal.
17. When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the V&A said in an email: “We work closely with a number of corporate partners to hold paid-for events within the V&A which allows us to offer a rich series of experiences and access to our collections, such as early morning views to our award-winning exhibition programme.”
18. They continued: “In all instances of working with corporate partners, including those events that you referenced below, our partners pay fees which are clearly documented within our accounts.”
19. Mr Elliot, by contrast, didn’t respond to requests for comment.