Queen Elizabeth II was ‘very keen’ for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to be a UK trade envoy – before he demanded trips to ‘sophisticated countries’ and nights at the ballet, newly released documents on his appointment in 2001 revealed today.
Her Majesty pushed for her second son to take on a ‘prominent role in the promotion of national interests’, then-chief executive of British Trade International Sir David Wright said.
Andrew was a ‘natural fit’ to succeed her cousin the Duke of Kent after he concluded his Royal Navy service in July 2001, the late Queen believed.
She pressed for Andrew to become trade envoy – and he was appointed with no vetting, it emerged today.
The memo has been released on Thursday as part of a trove of files related to Andrew’s appointment to the post, which gave him access to senior government and business contacts around the world.
‘The Queen’s wish is that the Duke of Kent should be succeeded in this role by the Duke of York,’ Sir David wrote in a memo to then-foreign secretary Robin Cook dated February 2000 – just before Andrew’s appointment.
‘The Duke of Kent is to relinquish his responsibilities around April next year. That would fit well with the end of the Duke of York’s active naval career. The Queen is very keen that the Duke of York should take on a prominent role in the promotion of national interests.
‘No other member of The Royal Family would be available to succeed the Duke of Kent. The Duke of York’s adoption of his role would seem a natural fit.’
Sir David suggested the role would include some regional trips and two or three overseas visits each year, as well as a ‘leading trade mission from time to time’.
But before taking the job, Andrew moaned about trips to undeveloped nations while working as a UK trade envoy.
The ex-prince griped via an aide about visiting certain states for his taxpayer-funded job – a role that sparked his arrest earlier this year after the release of the Epstein Files.
‘He tended to prefer more sophisticated countries’ and has a preference ‘for ballet over theatre’ – but he didn’t want to play golf as part of the job, a never-seen-before letter said.
As Labour published historic documents on the 2001 appointment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, it was also revealed:
- The then Prince refused to play golf as part of the trade envoy role – even if had his clubs with him on the trip – because he considered 18 holes to be ‘private’;
- Andrew denied he had demand £100,000 for office expenses, in a note prepared for an interview with a national newspaper before his appointment;
- He insisted his lack of any business experience wouldn’t hinder him in the role and said: ‘I relish the challenge’ and ‘hope to make a difference’;
- ‘We have found no evidence that a formal due diligence or vetting process was undertaken,’ Labour’s junior trade minister Chris Bryant said in a written statement to parliament on Thursday.
Documents relating to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as trade envoy in 2001 are released by government. His arrest on his 66th birthday was related to the role
The Queen wanted Andrew to take on a ‘prominent role in the promotion of national interests’, then-chief executive of British Trade International Sir David Wright said in this newly released letter
Andrew’s views about his job working for Tony Blair emerged in 11 files related to the disgraced former Duke of York released by 10 Downing Street today.
Andrew’s preferences for trips were revealed in a letter from Kathryn Colvin, Head of Protocol Division, dated January 25, 2000.
She explained that his Principal Private Secretary Captain Blair told her that Andrew had a preference for visits.
But Captain Blair warned her: ‘The Duke of York should not be offered golfing functions abroad. This was a private activity and if he took his clubs with him he would not play in any public sense’.
Ms Colvin wrote that she had been told the former prince was ‘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 Commonwealth and military and foreign affairs’.
A line in this correspondence is redacted, with the Government saying some material has remained undisclosed to ‘remove the bare minimum of personal information and information whose release would prejudice international relations’.
Andrew became the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment in 2001 but stepped down 10 years later amid the furore over his friendship with paedophile financier Epstein.
He received no salary for travelling around the world and at home promoting Britain’s business interests, but criticisms were made about the thousands of pounds spent each year on his expenses and travel costs.
The documents, published on Thursday following a motion by Lib Dem MPs, shed more light on the discussions he had with the New Labour government at the time of his appointment.
The party led by Sir Ed Davey today criticised the ‘small paper trail’ released by the Government in relation to the 2001 appointment of Andrew.
Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: ‘It is shocking and deeply troubling that Andrew was appointed to the trade envoy role with no vetting. Nobody should be above such standards. This raises serious questions about why officials and ministers at the time thought that was acceptable.
‘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.’
Andrew liked visiting ‘sophisticated’ countries and would not play golf abroad as he considered it a ‘private’ passion – even if he took his clubs with him
A further tranche of files related to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s 2001 appointment as a trade envoy are to be published at a future date, Downing Street said.
A No 10 spokeswoman told reporters: ‘We are complying with the humble address and we’re publishing those documents as quickly as possible.
‘We’re also supporting the police investigation as you would expect.
‘And we’ll provide the House with any other substantive documents we find in the course of that work.’
Asked whether it was acceptable that no vetting was carried out into Andrew, the spokeswoman said: ‘We have found no evidence that a formal due diligence or vetting process was undertaken, and there’s no evidence that this was considered.
‘And this is due to the fact that the role was a continuation of the royal family’s involvement in trade and investment promotion work following the Duke of Kent’s decision to relinquish his duties as vice chairman of British Trade International.’
Peter Mandelson has been accused of disclosing sensitive information to their mutual friend, the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, while he was working as Business Secretary.
Andrew’s arrest on February 19 – his 66th birthday – followed allegations that he had shared sensitive information with the late paedophile financier while working as trade envoy.
Both Mandelson, who was also arrested following the release of the Epstein Files in the US, and Andrew, claim they had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and being mentioned in the files is not an indication of guilt.
Both men were released under investigation and deny any wrongdoing.
Andrew (centre) in Bahrain in 2014 in his role as a trade envoy, flanked by Prince Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa (left) and Crown Prince and Bahraini Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa (right)
Their cases will ultimately be considered by the CPS Special Crime Division, which deals with the most sensitive and complex cases.
It has previously been reported that detectives investigating Andrew may try to broaden the scope of their enquiries beyond the misconduct in public office offences, for which it is difficult to mount a prosecution.
The former Duke of York could be investigated over other potential corruption offences on top of a wider inquiry into alleged sex trafficking, police sources have claimed.
Andrew has been dogged for more than 15 years over allegations about his relationship with Epstein, and his arrest plunged the monarchy into a constitutional crisis.
According to emails published by the US Department of Justice, Andrew appeared to have forwarded official reports of trips to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam onto the financier in 2010 and 2011.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has tried to press US authorities to expedite the release of unredacted exchanges in the files.
Andrew’s decision to quit the envoy role in 2011 came in the same year he was pictured with his arm around his primary accuser, Virginia Giuffre, who said she was trafficked to the former duke at the home of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
Ms Giuffre claimed she had sex with the former prince three times – at Maxwell’s home in London, at Epstein’s New York townhouse and on the disgraced financier’s Caribbean island, Little St James.
Andrew paid Ms Giuffre millions of pounds to settle a civil suit in the US in 2022, a woman he has claimed never to have met.
