THE Queen’s grandson has access to the UK Government’s “VIP” lane for coronavirus contracts, it has been revealed.
Peter Phillips, acting on behalf of a medical supplies company which he had not yet founded, approached Downing Street officials in March last year, at the height of the pandemic.
Court action brought by the Good Law Project has brought to light documents which show the royal family member first made contact with government officials on March 26, three days after the first lockdown began.
The Sunday Times reports that although he was yet to found his medical firm, and had no expertise in the field, he offered to provide PPE on behalf of two other businesses.
One was the now defunct Brand Avenue, which distributed 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.
Neither company was awarded government contracts, though Brand Avenue became a supplier to NHS trusts.
READ MORE: Matt Hancock's PPE deals 'suspended' by bank over fears 'VIPs' were fraudsters
Having established connections with government officials, Phillips set up his new business, XF Medical, in June. It provides testing products and the company’s information is available on the Government's regularly updated list of "private providers of Covid-19 testing" – advertising it to potential clients free of charge.
Phillips, a father of two and the Queen's eldest grandchild, is 16th in the line to the throne. He graduated with a degree in sports science but has no medical qualifications.
XF Medical’s website describes him as an "entrepreneur with a background in sports and entertainment".
The Good Law Project said that, while not all VIP referrals led to immediate contracts, many individuals formed valuable expertise and contacts in the process.
An XF Medical spokesman denied any wrongdoing and said that although XF tendered to the government to supply PPE and testing services, it was not successful.
In 2017, it emerged that Phillips received £750,000 for organising a charitable event for the Queen's 90th birthday party.
Last January he was seen posing with a glass of milk for a Chinese company that listed him as "British royal family member Peter Phillips".
In total, more than £1.7 billion was dished out through the “VIP lane” by the UK Government, some of which went towards unusable products.
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