A leaked email and a swift palace statement have thrust Prince William into a fresh “cash for access” storm. Filipino-Swiss art patron Minerva Mondejar Steiner, an official sponsor of next month’s Royal Charity Polo Cup in Windsor, offered ultra-wealthy clients a private audience with Prince William for £20,000. The Sunday Times exposed the pitch; Kensington Palace cut ties within hours and insisted the prince “does not condone” paid proximity. Yet the row revives an old question: can the modern monarchy keep its fundraising clean?

Cash for Access Deal Uncovered At The Polo Cup

Steiner’s gallery email promised two tiers of entry: a £6,000 patron spot and a £20,000 package that included “full access plus a private audience with Prince William and Princess Catherine.” She also dangled £50,000 advert buys in an event-only magazine, describing them as “access to royalty” opportunities. The offer circulated through a luxury concierge network before journalists obtained it. Palace aides say they knew only of Steiner’s sponsorship, not her side deal, until reporters called.

William did not condone the type of behaviour outlined in the email,” a Kensington Palace source told The Times, adding that “there would be no ‘cash for access’.”

Palace Moves To Limit Damage

Kensington Palace ended all links with Mondejar Gallery and scrubbed its name from polo materials. Officials stressed that a Buckingham Palace secretariat vets sponsors, but conceded the vetting missed Steiner’s parallel foundation. William still plans to play the charity match, which has raised more than £10 million for causes such as Wales Air Ambulance and Child Bereavement UK. He will host the post-match reception to thank donors who followed proper channels.

Past Cash Scandals Haunt The Crown

It would be remiss if one did not notice a pattern. Michael Fawcett, the then King Charles’s valet, resigned in 2022 after arranging a CBE for a Saudi donor to King Charles’s charities. Fawcett also faced accusations from a former Highgrove secretary who said he called her a “fucking n-word typist,” according to tribunal testimony reported by The Guardian. Sarah Ferguson was filmed in 2010 soliciting £500,000 for introductions to Prince Andrew. Even William and Catherine drew headlines in 2014 when a New York charity dinner asked couples to pay £32,000 for seats near them. Each case ended with damage control, yet none erased the perception that royal proximity can carry a price tag.

Same royals, same scandal—just a decade apart. In 2014 it was £32k for dinner in New York. In 2025 it’s £20k for polo access. Different headlines, same pattern.

Calls For Reform Grow Louder

The Honours Act of 1925 outlawed the sale of titles, but no statute bars selling time with a royal. Ethics experts warn that the gap leaves the family open to influence-peddling and fuels calls for reform and even calls to abolish the Monarchy. William’s rapid response limits short-term fallout, yet the episode shows how quickly private fundraising can erode public trust. If the Firm wants to modernise, it must build walls between charity and commerce that no sponsor can breach.