Tainted former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi had invoked the names of British royalty, including Prince Charles and his brother Andrew, while seeking his travel papers from the U.K. Home Office, according to a media report on Sunday.
According to The Sunday Times , Andrew — the Duke of York — has known Mr. Modi for several years and met him at his London home last July, just days before his travel papers were granted.
Buckingham Palace refused to say what the two men had discussed but denied "categorically" that the Duke of York had lobbied the U.K. government on Mr. Modi’s behalf.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: “While we would never comment on the private meetings or conversations of members of the royal family, I can confirm that the Duke of York has known Mr. Modi over a number of years. The Duke is fully aware that policy and decisions relating to immigration issues are a matter for the Home Office. It is categorically untrue that he has sought to influence decisions on these issues.”
Clarence House said Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, had met Mr. Modi on “a handful” of occasions at charity functions.
