Andrew was not vetted for controversial UK trade envoy role that was late Queen’s ‘wish,’ files show

By Christian Edwards, CNN

London (CNN) — The British government has found no evidence that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was vetted prior to his appointment as a trade envoy in 2001, a minister said Thursday, alongside the release of documents which showed that the former prince’s mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, pushed for his appointment to such a role.

The documents were made public after opposition lawmakers asked the government to release all papers related to the creation of the role of “Special Representative for Trade and Investment” and Mountbatten-Windsor’s controversial appointment to that position.

Mountbatten-Windsor was appointed as trade envoy in 2001 and stepped down a decade later over his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The disgraced royal was briefly arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) released documents related to its investigation into Epstein that raised questions about the former prince’s dealings with the financier while he was a trade envoy.

In the wake of the arrest, Britain’s Liberal Democrats, an opposition party, made a “humble address,” requesting that ministers publish all available documents on Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment.

In a letter to lawmakers published Thursday, Chris Bryant, a trade minister, said: “We have found no evidence that a formal due diligence or vetting process was undertaken. There is also no evidence that this was considered.”

Bryant said this was “understandable” since Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment was a “continuation” of the royal family’s involvement in promoting Britain’s trade and investment.

A 41-page dossier released by the British government also showed that the late Queen pushed for her son’s appointment as a trade envoy.

In a memo to the then-Foreign Secretary Robin Cook dated February 2000, David Wright, then chief executive of government body British Trade International, said that “the Queen’s wish” was for Mountbatten-Windsor to serve as a trade envoy, and that the role would “fit well” with the end of his career in the British Navy.

“The Queen is very keen that the Duke of York should take on a prominent role in the promotion of national interests,” Wright wrote at the time.

As trade envoy, an unpaid role, Mountbatten-Windsor traveled the world and met senior figures in business and government. In the documents released Thursday, a British diplomat wrote in 2000 that Mountbatten-Windsor had a preference for visiting “more sophisticated countries” and “should not be offered golfing functions abroad.”

Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal title last year as his brother, King Charles III, tried to shield the royal family from the opprobrium caused by the Epstein scandal.

Documents released by the US government appeared to show Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential material with Epstein in 2010, during his time as trade envoy.

In October 2010, Epstein emailed the royal asking for details about an upcoming trip to Asia, according to DOJ files. In response, Mountbatten-Windsor sent Epstein a brief itinerary setting out his travel plans for various destinations, including Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong. Then, after the trip concluded, Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded “visit reports” to Epstein, initially sent to the former prince by his then-special adviser Amit Patel.

Trade envoys, as set out in UK government guidelines, are under the same obligations as government ministers and the role “carries with it a duty of confidentiality in relation to information received,” which may include “sensitive, commercial, or political information shared about relevant markets/visits.”

After the former prince was arrested in February, Charles expressed his “deepest concern” and stressed that “the law must take its course.”

Mountbatten-Windsor has vehemently denied any and all wrongdoing in his dealings with Epstein.

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