In October, the Australian press published audio recordings of conversations between billionaire Anthony Pratt, considered one of the richest people in this country. In them, he shares plans that are worthy of James Bond villains. According to Pratt, he spent years of his billions to ingratiate himself with the most powerful people in the world – from politicians to monarchs. Now, he said, Buckingham Palace fears that he will destroy the British monarchy.
“All these people are such a mafia”
In early October, the American television company ABC News reported on Anthony Pratt’s little-known connections with former US President Donald Trump. A few days later, Australian newspapers published leaked conversations of the billionaire, in which, in addition to Trump, British King Charles III and other famous public figures were mentioned. The origin of the recordings remains unknown, but it is clear that Pratt hardly expected their publication.
“I’m trying to build a network of people who can be helpful,” Pratt explains in one post. He does not hide the fact that they are attracted mainly by his millions. “My superpower is that I’m rich,” he quotes Batman.
As it turns out, powerful people don’t need much. Charles III, according to Pratt, is ready to do anything for modest donations, which rarely exceed 100 thousand pounds a year, and his friendship with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani cost the billionaire only a million dollars. Officially, this money was payment for attending his birthday, but the celebration was canceled due to Covid restrictions, and the million remained with Giuliani. “Now he calls me once a week,” Pratt boasts in the leaked recording.
Interest in Trump is not related to the billionaire’s political views. Pratt maintained an acquaintance with Joe Biden even before he was elected president of the United States, and in his native Australia he financed politicians who compete with each other. “All these people are such a mafia,” he said. —Trump, Rupert, Rudy. It’s better to be their client, not their rival.”
Pratt inherited billions from his father, who led a double life
Before the leak and scandal, Pratt was not particularly well known outside of Australia, and not everyone in this country knows about him. He does not pursue the fame of Elon Musk and prefers that people write about him less often. One of his friends told Financial Review that the billionaire tries not to talk even with colleagues – he doesn’t want to be taught how to run a company.
At 63, Pratt takes 209th on Bloomberg’s list of the world’s richest people. He heads Visy and Pratt Industries, which work in the most boring industry – making cardboard boxes and paper from waste paper. Moreover, his fortune is estimated at $9.3 billion.
Pratt inherited his wealth from his father, who was a much more colorful character. Suffice it to say that, in addition to his wife, he had an official mistress. In addition, he was dating former porn model Madison Ashton, who starred for Penthouse magazine. After his death she claimed for a share in the business, but to no avail – Anthony Pratt and his two sisters got it all.
He led a double life. The visible 50 percent is a successful businessman and philanthropist. And the other half is a rather negative type. Many women, underground deals, mistresses, bribes and corruption
The growing interest in ecology has played into Pratt’s hands. “Suddenly large corporations wanted to buy paper from recycled materials, and we are the only manufacturer whose raw materials are 100% recycled,” explained billionaire in 2020.
“When he becomes king, they won’t be laughing”
Journalists managed to find out that Pratt made regular donations to funds Prince Charles. The minimum amount was £100,000 per year, but could be higher. In addition, the billionaire often gave other gifts to the royals – for example, he ordered a huge portrait of Charles from the artist for his 70th birthday.
In one recording, Pratt claims he received a call from Buckingham Palace in mid-2022, imploring him to donate only through the charities of key members of the British royal family. Otherwise, journalists may notice this, and Charles will end up in a new situation. corruption scandal. “He’s just very close to becoming king and doesn’t want me to ruin the monarchy,” said billionaire.
It is unlikely that I myself will ever receive a noble title. To be honest, I don’t really want to, because now they give titles to everyone
“I consider him an undervalued political asset,” Pratt explained of Charles’s potential usefulness in the recording, which was made when Elizabeth II was still Britain’s monarch. “It’s only now that everyone is laughing at Charles.” When he becomes king, they won’t be laughing.”
Trump told Pratt about the weak points of Russian submarines
Pratt showed no interest in Donald Trump until he became President of the United States. But after that, he made every effort to make him notice him. The billionaire constantly praised him, placed advertisements in newspapers that mentioned the US president, and became a member of the Trump club at Mar-a-Lago. The money helped here too: for tickets to the New Year’s gala at Mar-a-Lago, Pratt voluntarily paid million dollars instead of the usual 50 thousand. Such generosity could not fail to attract attention.
The efforts bore fruit – Trump began to communicate with him, and even more actively than Pratt expected. “He talks whatever he wants and loves to shock,” the billionaire says in the leaked recordings. The president once said that he wanted to make his wife Melania walk around the pool in a bikini so that they would envy him. Melania replied that she would only go if Trump also came out in a bikini.
Trump knows exactly what to say and what not to say in order to avoid going to jail, but he comes so close to this line that from the outside it seems as if he is breaking the law. For example, he won’t go and directly say, “I want you to kill someone.” He will tell someone to send someone to tell someone to kill someone
Trump shared state secrets no less willingly. He tells Pratt about negotiations with the heads of other countries and could blurt out about military operations that no one knew about yet. One day the conversation turned to submarines. The President leaned towards Pratt’s ear and started list exactly how many nuclear warheads are actually carried on American submarines and how close they can get to Russian submarines without being detected. This information was not publicly available.
Pratt later heard Trump’s words about the submarines to at least 45 people, including three former Australian prime ministers, ten Australian officials, six journalists and 11 employees of their companies. When the scandal broke, all three former prime ministers statedthat they don’t remember anything about it.
Trump called Pratt a “redheaded weirdo from Australia”
After the publication of the leaks, Buckingham Palace issued a statement. It claimed that Pratt’s support for Prince Charles was no secret. “The fact is that Mr Pratt is one of Australia’s leading philanthropists and has donated to numerous charities,” emphasized in the document.
On his social network Truth, Donald Trump called reports of his connections with Pratt disinformation. “The article in the spoiled New York Times about the red-haired weirdo from Australia, whose name is Anthony Pratt, is fake,” wrote former US President. “I never talked to him about submarines, only about creating jobs in Ohio and Pennsylvania.”
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