King Charles' distant royal relative is facing questions after organising a luxury holiday for Russian oligarch known as Putin's favourite industrialist whilst he was under US sanctions.

Socialite Alexandra Bowes-Lyon's father is the King's third cousin. In February 2021, she hosted a retreat in a 'pristine and private' safari in Kenya for Oleg Deripaska.

Mr Deripaska, 55, had been sanctioned by the US over his ties to the Kremlin three years earlier.

The royal relative is the director of elephant charity, Space for Giants USA, which has hosted fundraisers at Kensington Palace and Clarence House, according to The Times. As the director she organised the invite-only three-day trip which involved spotting lions, cheetahs and elephants.

'Lexi', 37, has been New York-based since 2011, when she moved to work for Christie's, the auction house. Mr Deripaska has been described as being part of Vladimir Putin's 'inner circle'.

Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska (pictured) was invited on a luxury holiday as an 'elite donor' to charity Space for Giants USA - which the director of has royal ties

Socialite Alexandra Bowes-Lyon (pictured) who's related to the King faces questions over organising a luxury holiday for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska

Mr Deripaska landed in Nairobi on his private jet, before boarding an aircarft alongside his bodyguard, a butler and an executive at Rusal.

Once Russia's richest man, oil tycoon Mr Deripaska came to prominence in the UK when he entertained Labour grandee Lord Mandelson on his yacht in Corfu.

The tycoon quit as a director of Russian energy giant EN+ Group and United Company Rusal after being targeted by the sanctions.

His estimated peak fortune sat at £28 billion and he boasted several multi-million properties and private jets. Deripaska is accused of amassing his fortune through extortion, racketeering and ordering the murder of a rival - which he has always denied.

Organised through a branch of the charity, Journeys for Giants, the sanctioned oligarch was said to be welcomed by both Ms Bowes-Lyon and the charity's founder and chief executive Dr Max Graham.

Mr Deripaska was invited as an elite donor to the charity. The charity receives hundreds of thousands in grants from the UK government.

Mr Graham, 45, told The Times: 'We are not in a position to confirm or deny that Space for Giants has or has not breached US sanctions in relation to the 2021 safari given that no competent authority has ever ruled on this.

'What we can say is that no Space for Giants entity, Lexi Bowes-Lyon nor myself have ever knowingly or deliberately breached sanctions.'

Oil-tycoon Oleg Deripaska (right) is known as Vladimir Putin's (left) favourite industrialist

He added that the charity was assured it was not under suspicion of criminality and played the role of a 'co-operative witness'.

A Charity Commission spokesman said: 'We can confirm that, in line with our guidance, Space for Giants filed a serious incident report in November 2022 to confirm that it was complying with US authorities.'

The US' treasury department bans citizens, residents or entities from taking part in financial transactions and other dealings with 'specially designated nationals'.

Those who do so could be jailed for up to 30 years.

SFG has confirmed it received money from Deripaska after the imposition of the US sanction, but said the funds were deposited in its UK account - before it sanctioned Mr Deripaska.

Mr Deripaska, 55, had been sanctioned by the US over his ties to the Kremlin (left)

In 2020, SFG listed its 'corporate and charitable partnerships' which included Mr Deripaska's Rusal.

Mr Graham said the charity is 'fully committed' to complying with all international, national and local laws.

Deripaska was born in Siberia in 1968 but raised by his grandparents in Krasnodar, after his mother left home to find work. He was drafted into the Red Army before graduating Moscow State University in 1993 with a degree in nuclear physics, just as Soviet Russia was collapsing.

A spokesman for Deripaska issued a statement which said he found t 'utterly disgusting' that journalists cook up 'sensational garbage'.