Boris Berezovsky was assassinated by British secret services because he had highly embarrassing photos of Prince Philip, author sensationally claims
Claim was made by pro-Putin author countering widspread belief Berezovsky was killed by Russian agents
RUSSIAN tycoon Boris Berezovsky was assassinated by British spies after threatening to expose photographs dubbed "royal porn" allegedly featuring a young Prince Philip, a Moscow espionage author has sensationally claimed.
The pictures, said to show the Duke of Edinburgh at Thursday Club parties, were rumoured to have been taken by his photographer friend Baron Nahum in the 1950s.
The private photographs are thought to have been secretly copied by a Soviet spy, who then smuggled them back to Russia during the Cold War.
Russian intelligence expert Gennady Sokolov has now made the startling claims there was evidence that the one-time billionaire Berezovsky had managed to come into possession of the controversial photographs taken by spy Yevgeny Ivanov.
He claimed Berezovsky had likely handed the photographs to the British authorities, so in theory taking them out of circulation and preventing the risk of an humiliating publication, as part of his successful effort to gain political asylum in Britain, so avoiding jail time in Russia.
He was widely rumoured to have been assassinated by Pro-Putin Russian hitmen but these claims that British secret service agents may have been behind the killing would dispute the theory.
Berezovsky, a former billionaire and fierce critic Vladimir Putin, died in unexplained circumstances in March 2013 amid suggestions he had been seeking the Kremlin leader's forgiveness.
A post-mortem examination found there was no signs of a violent struggle but the coroner recorded an open verdict as theories that shadowy Russian or British forces could have killed him continued to circulate.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was allegedly pictured in 'embarrassing' photos taken in the 1950s while at the Thursday Club
But Sokolov has now claimed the tycoon may have secretly kept copies which - just before his death - he was preparing to hand to the Russian government as part of his effort to leave Britain and return to his motherland.
The photos, taken at the social Thursday Club in the 1950s, allegedly show Prince Philip at a party with other members and semi-naked women.
Previous reports have stated Prince Philip is fully-dressed in the photographs, which would not be described as pornographic by today's standards.
Author Sokolov has now made astonishing claims that Russia's one-time richest man had been killed over the photographs.
He claimed: "Later, Her Majesty's secret services disposed of the oligarch because they did not need him any longer.
"Or, perhaps more likely, they feared or discovered that wily Berezovsky had made copies of the sensational photographs which he was preparing to push into the wrong hands."
He suggested the former oligarch may have already used the photos to achieve political asylum in Britain.
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In astonishing claims, he said: "My sources suggest there are grounds to believe that Berezovsky - then exiled in Britain - had bought the so-called 'royal porno collection' from its previous owner in Russia.
"He may have seen it as part of his ticket to become a British citizen, out of reach of the Moscow authorities.
"It is not unreasonable to suppose that these pictures were then discreetly handed over to the Windsors as part of the arrangement that saw him gain UK citizenship, and what he doubtless hoped would be a safe new life."
Sokolov spoke to EAST2WEST news agency about his theory, saying the Russian oligarch had been preparing to work his way back into Russia.
He said: "Again, he was in need of tickets to ease his passage and avoid being thrown into jail for earlier serious crimes in his homeland.
"This shocking collection of pictures had led to a number of deaths earlier, and it now seems Berezovsky's was the latest."
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson declined to comment.
LIFE AND DEATH OF BEREZOVSKY
Boris Abramovich Berezovsky was found dead in his British home with a noose around his neck.
But while the Russian business oligarch, government official, engineer and mathematician’s death may have appeared to be a suicide at first, his death has long been the subject of theories of revenge killings from Moscow or involving the British secret service.
Berezovsky, who had escaped jail time in Russia over charges of fraud and embezzlement, had been a long-time critic of Putin, putting him in the line of fire, while Russian theorists have suggested the man may have been killed by British services to stop him from releasing the controversial photos.
The 67-year-old was found in the locked bathroom of his Sunninghill home near Ascot in Berkshire on March 23 2013.
In the ruling over the former billionaire’s death, coroner Peter Bedford said: “I am not saying Mr Berezovsky took his own life, I am not saying Mr Berezovsky was unlawfully killed. What I am saying is that the burden of proof sets such a high standard it is impossible for me to say.”
Since his death it was reported that the Russian, who had been granted asylum in Britain, had wanted to return to Russia and had contacted Vladimir Putin in an attempt to seek forgiveness.
The businessman had been a vocal critic of Putin, seeking asylum in Britain before being convicted in absentia in Russia for fraud and embezzlement.
Sokolov, who was also the biographer of GRU agent Ivanov, the seducer of Christine Keeler, the lover of British War Minister John Profumo, said Nahum had been a close friend of Prince Philip.
He said: "He was not only a talented photographer but he also kept a diary of the Thursday Club, regularly attended by the Duke."
The pictures are claimed to show Prince Philip at the club pictured with other men and naked women.
Sokolov said photo sessions of the Thursday Club were set up by photographer Nahum, who "organised photo sessions of sex parties in his flat".
Nahum's girlfriend was actress Pat Kirkwood, whose name was frequently linked with the Prince.
The social club has been described as a "cheerfully louche group of men, artists and actors, photographers and aristocrats", which took the prince "to the edge of a gamey, and indeed seamy, set", in Andrew Marr's book 'The Diamond Queen'.
Photographer Nahum died in 1956 during a routine hospital visit after suddenly having become ill the day before he was expected to accompany Prince Philip to Australia.
THE ROYAL PORNO COLLECTION
The rumoured photographs of Prince Philip involved in embarrassing antics at a social club have long been threatened to be released.
The photographs at the Thursday Club were apparently obtained by a Russian spy during the Cold War in an attempt to discredit the Royal Family.
The club, whose regulars included actors David Niven and Peter Ustinov, met weekly in Soho with a Russian documentary released three years ago claiming the photographs were "scandalous".
The photographs, taken by the Duke's close friend and fellow club member, photographer Baron Nahum, apparently show the Duke of Edinburgh at the club during the 1950s.
But it has since been claimed legendary spy Yevgeny Ivanov used a tiny Minox camera to take copies of the photos from an album in the possession of Stephen Ward, the high-society osteopath central to the Profumo scandal, who was also associated with the club.
Spy Ivanov apparently called the photographs his "royal porno collection"
The photos are believed to have been sent to Moscow but have never been released.
Sokolov has also claimed half a dozen girls who had been at the Thursday Club were "wiped out".
He has even claimed to have seen the pictures, saying they were "certainly embarrassing".
He said: "Ivanov called them simply his 'Royal porno collection'."
The author has also previously claimed that the pictures would end the monarchy if they were made public.
He said the photographer would have kept his own copies of the pictures.
He said: "It can't be excluded that Ivanov planned to make some money with the help of this collection.
"Probably he spoke about it to wrong people.
"He was drinking a lot at the end of his life. There were two attempts to hit him with a car.
"Ivanov was taken to the hospital and then put in a psychiatric clinic.
"While he was away, probably, the secret place he had hidden his collection was found.
"In January 1994 Ivanov got out of psychiatric clinic and suddenly died. There was no autopsy.
"The official diagnosis was sudden heart failure."
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