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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Simon Goodley

Concierge firm co-founded by queen’s nephew went on ‘ill-timed’ hiring spree before Iran war

Quintessentially Iran Ben Elliot Gulf Asia
Empty beds lie empty along a beach at a residential beach development in Dubai
Beds lie empty at a residential beach development in Dubai. Quintessentially made pre-tax losses of £3m in the year to 30 April 2025. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

The embattled luxury concierge service co-founded by Queen Camilla’s nephew Ben Elliot embarked on what appeared to be an inopportune hiring spree in the Middle East and Asia before wealthy individuals began fleeing the region because of the US-Israel war on Iran.

Quintessentially almost quadrupled staff in the regions from 22 to 84 during its financial year to 30 April 2025, according to newly released annual accounts, which again reported multimillion-pound losses and warned of “material uncertainty” about its future.

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