Royal Access for Cash: Prince Andrew Gave Private Buckingham Palace Tour to Crypto Bosses Tied to Failed Scheme

LONDON, UK — The BBC has revealed that Prince Andrew, Duke of York, arranged a private, behind-the-scenes tour of Buckingham Palace for two American businessmen from a cryptocurrency mining firm, Pegasus Group Holdings, which had agreed to pay his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, up to £1.4 million ($1.7 million). The tour took place in June 2019 while the late Queen Elizabeth II was in residence.

The revelations intensify scrutiny over how Andrew and Ferguson have leveraged their royal status for financial gain, adding to the pressure already mounting from the palace’s recent move to strip Andrew of his royal titles and his Windsor residence over his connection to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The two businessmen, Pegasus co-founder Jay Bloom (an entrepreneur with a history of failed ventures) and Michael Evers (a former actor), were picked up in Andrew\’s official dark blue Range Rover and driven through the palace gates on a day the palace was closed to the public. The visit and subsequent events underscore the deepening relationship between the royals and the crypto firm:

The men were escorted into the palace and were later invited to Andrew’s business pitching event, Pitch@Palace.That evening, they dined with Andrew, Sarah Ferguson, and their daughter, Princess Beatrice. One of the businessmen, Michael Evers, claims they had a brief meeting with the Queen, though Mr. Bloom denies this and later stated he only met Andrew in his office.

Pegasus had employed Sarah Ferguson as a \”brand ambassador\” to promote an ambitious, but ultimately disastrous, Bitcoin mining operation that proposed using thousands of solar power generators in the Arizona desert. Financial Failure: The scheme collapsed within a year, acquiring only 615 of the planned 16,000 generators and mining a negligible $33,779 in cryptocurrency.

Ferguson’s Contract: Leaked documents show Ferguson was paid over £200,000 for her work and was in line for a £1.2 million bonus. Her contract specified first-class travel, five-star hotels, and professional services, while explicitly stating she was not an industry expert.

Legal Aftermath: In 2023, investors who claimed millions were unaccounted for won a $4.1 million tribunal award against Pegasus.

The BBC report also highlights Andrew’s own financial links to the network surrounding his ex-wife\’s contract. Ferguson’s payments were routed through a British company called Alphabet Capital. Court documents previously revealed that Andrew also received £60,500 traced to Alphabet’s owner, Adrian Gleave.

Neither Andrew, Sarah Ferguson, nor Mr. Gleave have provided an explanation for these payments. Andrew and Ms. Ferguson declined to respond to a detailed list of questions regarding their involvement with the crypto venture.