By Andrew MacAskill and Muvija M
LONDON, May 21 (Reuters) – Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth pressed almost three decades ago for her son Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to be made a government trade envoy, and there is no evidence of due diligence or security vetting before his appointment, according to documents released on Thursday.
The confidential documents released by the British government relate to the appointment of Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, to his role as special representative for trade and investment between 2001 and 2011.
An opposition party had requested the publication of files relating to the appointment three months ago, after the U.S. Justice Department released emails that suggested Mountbatten-Windsor shared sensitive information with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while in the role.
The documents released on Thursday included a memo dated February 2000 in which David Wright, who was chief executive of British Trade International – a now defunct government organisation set up to promote trade, said Elizabeth had been “very keen” for Mountbatten-Windsor to be given the job.
“The Queen’s wish is that the Duke of Kent should be succeeded in this role [as trade envoy] by the Duke of York,” Wright said in the memo to former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, referring to Mountbatten-Windsor’s previous title.
Queen Elizabeth died in 2022.
RARE PARLIAMENTARY DEVICE
The government released 31 pages of documents after the opposition Liberal Democrats used a rare parliamentary device to request the publication of files relating to how Mountbatten-Windsor was given the role, including on any vetting.
Chris Bryant, a junior trade minister, said in a written statement to parliament on Thursday that there was no evidence that formal due diligence or security vetting was carried out at the time.
Mountbatten-Windsor this year became the first member of the British royal family to be arrested in more than three centuries when he was questioned on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
He has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and said he regrets their friendship.
Another document released on Thursday showed that Mountbatten-Windsor’s private secretary at the time told the head of protocol at the Foreign Office that Mountbatten-Windsor preferred to visit “more sophisticated countries, particularly those in the lead on technology”.
The memo also said he preferred to see ballet rather than theatre on overseas visits.
Mountbatten-Windsor received no salary for the role, which allowed him to travel the world meeting senior business and government figures, but criticisms were made at the time about the size of his travel expenses.
He quit the role in 2011, the same year he was pictured with his arm around his accuser Virginia Giuffre, who later said he had sexually abused her when she was a teenager.
Mountbatten-Windsor has denied those accusations.
(Additional reporting by Sam Tabahriti, Editing by William James, Sarah Young and Timothy Heritage)
Comments