Simon Astaire, spokesman for HRH Prince Michael of Kent, has released a statement addressing the numerous claims made in a @thesundaytimes and @C4Dispatches investigation, including the allegation that he had used his royal status to sell access to Vladimir Putin:

Prince Michael of Kent’s business partner, Lord Simon Reading (who described the Prince to @C4Dispatches’s undercover reporters as “Her Majesty’s unofficial ambassador to Russia”), has also released a statement:

Buckingham Palace will not be commenting, stating that Prince Michael is not a working royal and they do not act on his behalf.

Interestingly, the http://Royal.uk  website details that both Prince and Princess Michael of Kent represent the Queen “at certain engagements.”