DOCUMENTS relating to the appointment of former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as trade envoy for the UK have been published.
The former royal was stripped of his royal titles over his friendship with the notorious paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and allegations – which he denies – of sexual abuse.
But before that, he was tasked with promoting British businesses abroad on behalf of the UK Government.
Documents released on Thursday showed how his mother, the late Queen, pushed for his appointment and revealed the lack of scrutiny he received before being given all-expenses paid trips around the world.
‘Queen’s wish for Andrew job’
It is confirmed by the documents that the late Queen Elizabeth was “very keen” for her second-youngest son to be given a trade envoy role.
In a letter from David Wright, then chief executive of British Trade International, in February 2000, it is noted that it is “the Queen’s wish” that Mountbatten-Windsor succeed the Duke of Kent Prince Edward in his former role as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment.
The letter to the Foreign Office and Department for Trade adds: “The Queen is very keen that the Duke of York should take on a prominent role in the promotion of national interests.”
No vetting
The LibDems, who forced the release of the files, have said it is “shocking and deeply troubling that Andrew was appointed to the trade envoy role with no vetting”.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment appears to have gone reasonably swiftly, with him telling a newspaper interviewer that he had been working with British Trade International from April 2001 before his “official induction” in September that year and before retiring from the Royal Navy.
The authorities also appeared to have been alive to the fact there would be concerns about Mountbatten-Windsor’s lack of experience.
In a “media Q&A” prepared for the announcement of his new position, there is a section which reads: “But he is not very experienced. Why not someone better placed?”
Andrew’s preferences
In a memo by then vice-marshal of the Diplomatic Corps Kathyn Colvin, Mountbatten-Windsor was described as being “particularly good on high-tech matters, trade, youth (including primary schools and outward bound projects), cultural events, with a preference for ballet rather than theatre”.
The memo reveals the tastes of the man who would later be reduced to a commoner over his affiliation with Epstein and the claim – which he denies – that he raped Virginia Guiffre aged 17.
It also paints him in an unflattering light when it notes that he has a preference for “the more sophisticated countries, particularly those in the lead on technology”. His early visits as trade envoy included trips to the US and South Africa.
Another embarrassing revelation comes as it is noted that Mountbatten-Windsor’s then-private secretary Captain Blair “particularly asked that [the former prince] should not be offered golfing functions abroad”. The memo adds: “This was a private activity and if he took his clubs with him he would not play in any public sense.”
Concerns over ‘small paper trail’
LibDem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain expressed concern about the release itself, which runs to just over 30 pages.
She said: “The lack of documentation provided is itself concerning, as is the time it has taken to get this far. We must get the full files from government without delay, and an explanation about why there is such a small paper trail. And the Government must commit to mandatory vetting for all similar appointments in future.
"The victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, and the justice they have been denied for years, are foremost in our minds as this continues.
"We must have a full public inquiry into Epstein, his links to the British establishment, and the abuse he and his associates perpetrated against women and girls here in the UK."
