From merchants to peers: Elizabeth II made the son of a Russian businessman a baron of Siberia

Great Britain is a country that honors the traditions laid down in the distant Middle Ages. Even to get into the House of Lords of the British Parliament, it is not enough to give people buckwheat and win the election. To do this, you need to have a noble title, inherited or granted by the monarch. This is how Yevgeny Lebedev, the son of Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev, got into the House of Lords. Now, by the grace of Elizabeth II, he became a baron, and not just a Basset, but a Siberian!

Now Evgeny Lebedev is a Baron of Hampton and Siberia, and in addition, a life peer of England! Such buns the son of a millionaire got with the filing of his good friend-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The politician gave a recommendation to Lebedev, as he really wanted to see him as a member of the independent party in Moscow. The House of Lords, in our opinion-a non — party self-nominated candidate.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Evgeny Lebedev

The fact that Lebedev can now be called Baron Sibirsky is confirmed by a letter signed by the Queen and her seal. Formally, the noble Eugene could go directly to the The House of Lords and a debate there, but it was not there — not all the formalities were observed.

House of Lords

We seem to have written that traditions in the foggy Albion come first. So, to get into the parliament, Lebedev needs to go through the introduction procedure. It consists in the fact that the newly created peer of England is introduced into the chamber under the white hands of two peers of the guarantor. The debutant himself should be dressed in a traditional mantle trimmed with ermine.

The Prince of Wales and the Baron of Siberia

But why Baron Sibirsky? Since ancient times, it has been customary for a peerage title to refer to a particular locality. Most often, it is located within the United Kingdom, but this is not necessary. The area can be located anywhere in the world, but if it is outside the jurisdiction of the British monarch, you need to get the consent of the authorities of a foreign state.

Evgeny Lebedev with his father

With his participation, about 75 million pounds (7.6 billion rubles) were collected for environmental protection. Together with his father, Alexander Lebedev, Evgeny owns the British publications The Evening Standard and The Independent. In 2016, Forbes estimated Lebedev's father's fortune at $ 400 million (30.3 billion rubles). By the way, Alexander Lebedev once graduated from the Academy of Foreign Intelligence and served in the KGB.