This is a report in a new section on the ACM site, "Prince Andrew".
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Prince Andrew, Duke of York, was invested with the insignia of a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order by his mother on Saturday 26 March 2011 at Windsor Castle. The two then took tea together.
The honour, which was established by Queen Victoria, was offered as a thank you to Prince Andrew at the time of his 51st birthday last month.
….20 business leaders rush to defend Prince…
In the meantime Rebecca English reports in the London Daily Mail (8/11) that a group of 20 of Britain's most senior businessmen have mounted a vigorous defense of Prince Andrew's much-maligned role as a UK trade envoy.
The 20-strong group, which features the chief executive of HSBC, former Conservative Party treasurer Michael Spencer and the chairman of Lloyd’s of London, have put their name to a letter calling for the under-fire royal to retain his post as so-called Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.
…glass houses…
(Continued below)
The Prince was the subject of an attack – in a piece in the press – by Chris Bryant, a member of Parliament and the shadow justice minister.
In a recent piece in the London Daily Mirror, Mr. Bryant accused the Prince of various indiscretions all based on previously published innuendo and gossip.
A former Church of England vicar, Mr. Bryant is no stranger to indiscretion. He is best known for a revealing photograph of himself – while an MP – posted on a gay dating site.
According to Wikepedia he claimed over £92,000 in expenses over the five years leading up to the 2009 scandal over MPs' expenses.
“During that time he flipped his second-home expenses twice, claimed mortgage interest expenses that started at £7,800 per year before rising (after flipping) to £12,000 per year.
"He also claimed £6,400 in stamp duty and other fees on his most recent purchase, and £6,000 per year in service charges.
“A claim that he made for £58,493.26, almost three times the annual maximum, in 2004, was disallowed.”