Sanctioned Putin Ally Donated $2.3 Million To Prestigious School Attended By Prince Williams' Children

One of Vladimir Putin’s friends from childhood donated millions of dollars to the same school now attended by Prince William and Princess Kate’s three children, The Royal Observer has learned.

Russian oligarch Arkrady Rotenberg, who first met Putin in 1964 when the Russian leader was 11, reportedly donated a whopping $2.3 million to the Lambrook School in Berkshire, England in 2011.

At the time of Rotenberg’s hefty donation, the prestigious school now attended by Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis was raising money to fund a new pool complex despite tuition at the school being $22,000 per year for each student.

Even more surprising are reports that 71-year-old Rotenberg, who is estimated to be worth more than $3 billion, has since been hit with sanctions by the United Kingdom due to his close association with Putin and Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

“Lambrook School has always, and will always, fully comply with all appropriate legislation and undertakes strict due diligence for any charitable donation,” a spokesperson for the school recently told Daily Mail.

“We do not comment on individual donations or donors,” the school’s spokesperson continued. “The Swimming Pool project began in 2011, and any donations towards this project were received at this time.”

According to Daily Star, Rotenberg donated the $2.3 million to the school roughly 11 years before Prince William and Princess Kate’s children joined the Lambrook School.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis joined last year after the royals moved to Windsor to live in Adelaide Cottage.

Natalia Rotenberg, the Russian billionaire’s ex-wife, previously expressed support for the Lambrook School and its efforts to collect enough money to construct a new pool complex.

“We were happy to support this school and give children the new opportunity for swimming,” Rotenberg’s ex said on Sunday after the revelation broke.

Like Putin, Rotenberg was born in St. Petersburg – then called Leningrad – and attended the same martial arts club as the Russian president.

The pair have reportedly remained friends ever since first meeting nearly 60 years ago, and Rotenberg has since received a number of distinguished medals from Putin – including the Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation, the Order of Honor, and the Order of Friendship