Queen’s courtier, Prince Charles’ cousin and other members of high society celebrate UK launch of group ‘accused of links to Russian spies’
- Members of British establishment gathered in Cavalry & Guards Club, Mayfair
- It was to celebrate UK launch of a group accused of links to Russian intelligence
- The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society deny any alleged intelligence roles
Aristocrats and business figures of the British establishment recently gathered in London to celebrate the UK launch of an organisation accused of being linked to Russian intelligence, according to reports.
Colonel Christopher Mackenzie-Beevor CBE, a senior member of the Queen’s ceremonial bodyguard, spoke at the Cavalry & Guards Club dinner in Mayfair on February 21, to introduce the British branch of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS).
He revealed in a speech to guests how proud his bishop father would have been to see him preserving traditional Christian values now under attack in the West, according to The Sunday Times.
Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia, who is a cousin of Prince Charles; Frederick Hervey, the 8th Marquess and 12th Earl of Bristol; and Alexander Yakovenko, the Russian ambassador to London, were also at the event.
Aristocrats and business figures (pictured) of the British establishment recently gathered in London to celebrate the UK launch of an organisation accused of being linked to Russian intelligence
Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia (left), who is a cousin of Prince Charles and Frederick Hervey (right), the 8th Marquess and 12th Earl of Bristol, attended the Cavalry & Guards Club dinner in Mayfair on February 21, to introduce the British branch of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS)
Of the clandestine gathering, Russia expert Andrew Foxall said: ‘This is one of the clearest cases I have seen of a Russian influence operation reaching the highest levels of British society.’
The scholarly society – which promotes Russian ties to Christians in the Middle East – has various ex-KGB and FSB directors in senior roles, and the international head of the organisation, Sergei Stepashin, is a former Russian spy chief.
And in 2008, a leaked US State Department cable claimed the organisation is ‘not independent of the Russian government’.
However, IOPS’s chairman of the new UK branch, Michael Wynne-Parker, told the publication that the society was a ‘religious and cultural’ organisation, defending traditional Christian values.
He said he was ‘not aware’ of the society’s alleged intelligence links, which it and the Kremlin deny, and that the dinner gathered ‘members of the Establishment who are not persuaded that Russia is the enemy.’
‘But the idea that we are a den of Russian collaborators is crazy. The people involved here are of the highest integrity and are loyal subjects of the Queen.’
The scholarly society – which promotes Russian ties to Christians in the Middle East – has various ex-KGB and FSB directors in senior roles, and the international head of the organisation, Sergei Stepashin (pictured), is a former Russian spy chief
Last year, two Russian diplomats associated with the society were expelled by Greece after being accused of attempting to ‘bribe state officials’ and ‘interfere in [the country’s] internal affairs’.
The Russian foreign ministry denied the charges. In 2016, Sergei Lavrov said the group, founded in 1882 and which faded during the Soviet era, was being revived to further ‘fundamental interests of the Russian state’.
He added that although the society has spiritual aspects, the organisation was ‘an essential instrument for consolidating Russia’s positions’.
Colonel Mackenzie-Beevor said he was asked to speak at the dinner by Mr Wynne-Parker to welcome people, but added that he had no other involvement with IOPS and no knowledge of its alleged intelligence role.
A spokesperson for Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia told the newspaper that she was a supporter of the society but held no official role, adding that she was unaware of any potential intelligence links.