Newly released documents show late Queen Elizabeth II was “very keen” that her son, former prince Andrew, be given the job of UK trade envoy.
The UK government released the confidential papers related to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment, just months after MPs accused the king’s brother of putting his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein ahead of the nation.
“The Queen is very keen that the Duke of York should take on a prominent role in the promotion of national interests,” the head of Britain’s trade body wrote in a letter.
Another document, a government memo sent to UK trade staff around the world, said that “HRH’s high public profile” will require “careful and sometimes strict media management”, in a reference to the former prince.
The involvement of the late queen will confirm previously held beliefs the monarch held a soft spot for her son — an empathy that might have influenced her lack of decisiveness in dealing with allegations of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s connection to Epstein.
UK Trade Minister Chris Bryant said in a written statement to other British MPs that “we have found no evidence that a formal due diligence or vetting process was undertaken” before Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was appointed to the role.
“There is also no evidence that this was considered. This is understandable since this new appointment 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 the Overseas Trade Board,” he said.
He said the government was cooperating with Thames Valley Police on their investigation into Mr Mountbatten-Windsor and the possible misconduct in public office.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal title last year as King Charles III tried to insulate the monarchy from the growing fallout from the Epstein scandal.
The former prince served as a special envoy for international trade from 2001 to 2011, when he was forced to give up the role because of concerns about his links to questionable figures in Libya and Azerbaijan.
The move followed the US Justice Department’s release of millions of pages of documents related to Epstein.
Those files showed how the convicted sex offender used an international web of rich, powerful friends to gain influence and sexually exploit young women and girls.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and said he regrets their friendship.
Nowhere has the fallout from the document release been felt more strongly than in the UK where the scandal has raised questions about the way power is wielded by the aristocracy, senior politicians and influential business owners, known collectively as “the Establishment.”
AP
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.abc.net.au ’
