Grandson of Elizabeth II given contract to organize her birthday without tender

Baku. 7 March. REPORT.AZ/ A company run by the Queen's grandson, Peter Phillips, was paid £750,000 (over 900 thousand USD) for organizing an event last year to celebrate the monarch's 90th birthday, Report informs citing the BBC.

The Patron's Lunch held in June on The Mall was a street party for the 600 charities and other organizations that have the Queen as Patron.

It was the idea of Mr Phillips, but the event was not put out to tender.

Royal officials said at the time that it was a "unique proposal" that had been subjected to due diligence.

The tickets, which were given to charities connected to the Queen, cost £150 each ( about $200,000).

There was also private sponsorship but the ticket price raised some eyebrows.

A similar reaction might have greeted the size of the fee that was paid to Mr Phillips' company, SEL Ltd.

It was not disclosed at the time of the birthday festivities because, the Queen's grandson argued, it might have an adverse effect on future business.

The £750,000 payment - now in the public domain through accounts filed with Companies House - was almost double the amount the lunch raised for good causes.