Anthony Bailey (PR advisor)

Anthony Bailey
OBE GCSS

Bailey speaking at the Faith in Sport Olympic Gala Dinner in London (2012)
Born (1970-01-13) 13 January 1970
London, England
Nationality British
Occupation Public relations consultant
Religion Catholic Church
Spouse(s) Princess Marie-Therese of Hohenberg
Website anthonybailey.org

Anthony John James Bailey, OBE GCSS (born 13 January 1970) is a British public relations consultant.

Personal life

Bailey was born in London on 13 January 1970 and brought up in Ruislip.[1] His father was an engineer. His wife, Princess Marie-Therese of Hohenberg, is a great-granddaughter of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.[2] They have one son, Maximilian, born in 2010.[3] In November 2016, British newspaper The Mail on Sunday reported Princess Marie-Therese had launched divorce proceedings against Bailey.[4]

Public relations

Bailey is chairman of Anthony Bailey Consulting, a public affairs company. Previous positions include chairman of his own company Eligo International, and senior account director for communications firm Burson-Marsteller, which he joined in 1993.[1]

Bailey is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.[5]

In 2007 The Observer referred to Bailey as a "PR guru who is one of the most influential men you have never heard of" and "a key player in the world of Catholic and Middle East politics."[1]

Politics

Bailey is co-president of British Influence and a supporter of Britain's membership of the European Union and the Commonwealth.[6] He was a supporter of the Conservative Party until 1999 [7] from which time he aligned himself with the Labour Party. He made a substantial donation to the failed leadership campaign of David Miliband in 2010.[7]

Charities and institutions

In the 1990s, Bailey "revived" (according to the Mail on Sunday) the Delegation for Great Britain and Ireland of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, under the authority of Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro, since the death of his father in 2008 a claimant to the title of a kingdom that ceased to exist in 1860.[8] In 2009 Bailey was appointed its magistral delegate, and the organisation has awarded him other honours.[9] The longstanding version of the Constantinian Order under another claimant, Prince Pedro, Duke of Calabria has no connection with Bailey, his business activities, or the order of which he is described as “delegate”, and Bailey has never been an officer or member of the longstanding version of the Order.[10]

Bailey was appointed in 1999 as executive chairman of Painting & Patronage by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia.[11] This company was dissolved in 2014.[12]

In 2012, Bailey was a director of the United Learning Trust.[13] He was, until 2016, a director of St Mary's University.[14]

Controversies

In 1995 police recorded his telephone conversations with a client, who claimed to be a Libyan prince. Bailey was accused of blackmailing the client, but the case was dismissed before it got to court.[1] Bailey complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the way this was reported in the Daily Mail in 2010; in resolution, the PCC negotiated a statement from the Mail that it had omitted some details in reporting these circumstances, and that it apologised for any distress caused.[15]

Bailey claimed to be an Ambassador at Large for The Gambia between 2004 and 2007, but the Gambian High Commission in London said at the time that it had "no idea who he was".[16]

According to the Prime Minister of Grenada, Dr Keith Mitchell, Bailey asked to be made Ambassador from Grenada to the Holy See, which Mitchell rejected.[17]

In March 2005, it emerged that a £500,000 donation Bailey had made to the Labour party had been rejected by its chief fundraiser, Lord Levy, who allegedly feared the money had come from foreign businessmen. Bailey insisted the money was his own and issued legal proceedings. He later said "The Labour party has apologised unreservedly for any distress that the affair caused". A later donation of £50,000 was accepted.[1]

In May 2016, the British newspaper The Mail on Sunday reported that Bailey was accused of incorrectly using his Antiguan knighthood as if it were a British title. Friends of Bailey contested the claim, stating that the honorific "Sir" appeared in his passport.[8] Buckingham Palace denied Bailey's assertion that he is entitled to call himself “Sir” in the United Kingdom in reference to his Antigua knighthood. A protocol from Buckingham Palace and the Foreign Office preventing the usage of foreign knighthoods in the United Kingdom was published in The London Gazette of 1 June 2016,[18][19] re-affirming a long-held government policy dating back to 1813.[8]

Bailey also stated that he had Antiguan and Barbudan citizenship on the basis of his Antiguan passport, issued when he was appointed as their special economic envoy to the European Union in 2015.[20] The Antiguan government did confirm that Bailey’s passport inaccurately stated that he is a national of Antigua and Barbuda. However, Bailey was never granted Antiguan citizenship, whether by investment or otherwise.[21] The British firm that prints the passports apparently assumed that anyone to be issued an Antigua and Barbuda passport would be a national of that country, and they were not informed that this did not apply to Bailey.[21] Bailey's Antiguan knighthood and his appointment as an economic envoy subsequently became subject to review by the Antiguan Governor General.[21]

Following the Antiguan knighthood controversy, there were calls for a Grenadian knighthood he was bestowed in 2015 to be examined.[22][23] Following an investigation by the Mail on Sunday, a review by the government was conducted and after taking legal advice, the knighthood was rescinded.[24][25]

Distinctions

National orders

Dynastic orders

Awards

Publications

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Jamie Doward, "PR guru behind Brown cash drive", The Observer 27 May 2007, accessed June 14, 2016
  2. Genealogy table accessed 21 June 2016.
  3. Birth notice, 17 March 2010 The Irish Times website, accessed 21 June 2016
  4. "GIRL ABOUT TOWN: Purrfect night in kitten ears for Mr Bean's girl". Mail Online. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  5. Public relations register - website of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations
  6. "British Influence" website, accessed 20 June 2016
  7. 1 2 3 The Daily Mail
  8. 1 2 3 Donovan, Ned; Gallagher, Ian (28 May 2016). "Queen's envoy 'Baroness Brazen' is entangled in honours scandal: Title given to Commonwealth chief's crony is 'reviewed' after she is accused of abusing the system". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  9. Website of Constantinian Order, accessed 20 June 2016
  10. Guy Stair Sainty, vice-grand chancellor of the Order. As reported in http://antiguaobserver.com/catholic-order-disowns-honours-awards-to-caribbean-leaders/ Antigua Observer. August 24, 2016. "The Order purportedly revived in the UK by Bailey is described on its website as the “Delegation for Great Britain and Ireland”; however, in a follow up email, Guy Stair Sainty, vice-grand chancellor of the Order, said it has no connection with Bailey, his business activities or the order of which he is described as “delegate”. Sainty explained that the Constantinian Order concentrates primarily on its Catholic mission and never “exchanges” it’s membership with anyone for any reason, since the would be contrary to the statutes and character of the Order as a Catholic, chivalric, confraternal institution. “Neither are we interested in expensive entertainments nor in constant publicity, which is why we have not issued any public statement until now, when the good name of our Order has repeatedly been the subject of so much critical commentary,” he added. Sainty went on to note that the grant of awards for “’interfaith’ services or whatever” to the likes of President Assad of Syria and former President Saleh of Yemen and various state officials in other countries, including the Caribbean, has no worth. “The self-evident conflict of interest between Mr Bailey’s role as a businessman apparently acting on behalf of states for fees, yet exchanging decorations of this controversial Constantinian Order … and then claiming awards in return would appear to be entirely contrary to the spirit of this ancient Catholic institution,” he said."
  11. "Painting and Patronage" website, accessed 20 June 2016
  12. "PAINTING & PATRONAGE LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  13. Companies House
  14. St Mary's University
  15. Press Complaints Commission website, accessed 20 June 2016.
  16. "Pendennis | 7 Days | The Observer". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  17. "Labour peer faces new embarrassment over knighthood". Mail Online. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
  18. London Gazette, 1 June 2016, accessed 9 June 2016
  19. "Something of the Knight...", Private Eye, no, 1420, 10 June 2016
  20. Sir Anthony Bailey defends his Antigua & Barbuda Citizenship – The Antigua Observer, June 1, 2016
  21. 1 2 3 "Another Caribbean diplomatic passport raises questions", Caribbean News Now! website, 8 June 2016, accessed 10 June 2016.
  22. "Baroness Scotland ally is investigated over SECOND knighthood". Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  23. "Grenada becomes embroiled in Caribbean knighthoods scandal". Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  24. "Sir Anthony's Grenada knighthood to be revoked". 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  25. "Labour peer faces new embarrassment over knighthood". Mail Online. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
  26. Richmond and Twickenham Times
  27. "Catholic Order disowns honours awards to Caribbean leaders". Antigua Observer Newspaper. 2016-08-24. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  28. The President of Albania decorates The Duke of Castro – official website of the Casa Real Borbón Dos Sicilias
  29. Recipients of the Order of Skanderbeg – website of the President of Albania
  30. Decorated Knights of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George – website of the President of Albania
  31. Ambassador MATEV awarded medal "Madara Horseman" first degree - website of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria to the UK
  32. Buckingham Palace
  33. Independent Catholic News
  34. "Exchange of honours between Constantinian Order and Colombia". Independent Catholic News. 2013-06-18. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  35. Association of Papal Orders in Great Britain Archived 6 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  36. ACTA BENEDICTI PP. XVI, 5 Septembris 2008 - ACTA APOSTOLICAE SEDIS
  37. Hungarian Deputy PM awards Merit to Bailey with UK Ambassador - website of the Daily Mail
  38. Hungarian Gazette No. 62 year 2013 Archived 21 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine. - website of the Hungarian government
  39. List of decorations awarded by the President of Montenegro - official website of the President of Montenegro
  40. Cetinje, President Vujanović Presents Anthony Bailey with an Order - official website of the President of Montenegro
  41. Moroccan British Society at "Sacred" Exhibition - website of the Moroccan British Society
  42. Buckingham Palace
  43. Communique de Presse - website mbs.ma
  44. "Announcements; Award;" [Order of Manuel Amador Guerrero]. The Times. London, England. 2004-04-02.
  45. 1 2 Buckingham Palace
  46. Central Chancellery of the Presidency of the Republic
  47. President of Syria receives the Constantinian Order delegation. Damascus – March 2004 - Archive website all4syria.info
  48. A world war the liberals are losing - website The Telegraph
  49. "Award; The Register" [Mr Anthony Bailey was awarded the Syrian Order of Outstanding Merit (First Class)]. The Times. London, England. 2004-03-23. p. 23. ISSN 0140-0460.
  50. "People 2007-8 Archive:Awards, Appointments, Elections and Honours", University College London website, accessed 20 June 2016
  51. The Catholic Herald. Archived 26 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
  52. Grand Magistral Appointments to the Constantinian Order and Royal Order of Francis I - website of the UK and Ireland Delegation of the Constantinian Order and Royal Francis I Order
  53. Chancery of the Constantinian Order in the UK
  54. Duke of Castro awards Gold Benemerenti Medals to General Lord Ramsbotham and Inter-Faith Delegate Anthony Bailey - website Chancery of the Constantinian Order in the UK
  55. President Jahjaga awarded honours to a number of personalities - official website of the Presidents of Kosovo
  56. Investiture Ceremony - website of the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London
  57. Independent Catholic News, 9 February 2012, accessed 13 June 2016
  58. The College of Teachers University of London.
  59. Alex Bigham (ed.), Having Faith in Foreign Policy, The Foreign Policy Centre, 2007 ISBN 978-1-905833-09-2(accessed 19 June 2016)

External links


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