Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor appears to have shared confidential information from his official work as a UK trade envoy with Jeffrey Epstein during 2010 and 2011, according to newly released files in the United States seen by the BBC.
Emails contained in the latest batch of Epstein-related documents show the former Duke of York passing on reports of official overseas visits and details of potential investment opportunities. Under official guidance, UK trade envoys are required to maintain strict confidentiality over sensitive commercial and political information obtained during their duties.
Andrew served as a UK trade envoy from 2001 to 2011. He has been contacted for comment but is yet to respond. He has consistently and strongly denied any wrongdoing, and his appearance in the Epstein files does not in itself indicate misconduct.
According to the emails, on 7 October 2010, Andrew sent Epstein details of planned official trips to Singapore, Vietnam, Shenzhen in China and Hong Kong. During these visits, he was accompanied by business associates linked to Epstein.
Following the trips, emails suggest that on 30 November 2010 Andrew forwarded official visit reports to Epstein just minutes after receiving them from his then special assistant, Amit Patel. The reports related to visits across South East Asia and contained assessments linked to his role as trade envoy.
Andrew told BBC Newsnight in 2019 that he last met Epstein in early December 2010 in New York, where he said he ended their friendship. However, documents show that later that month, on Christmas Eve, he emailed Epstein a confidential briefing on investment opportunities connected to the reconstruction of Helmand Province in Afghanistan. At the time, the project was overseen by British armed forces and funded by UK government money. By then, Epstein was already a convicted sex offender.
Sir Vince Cable, who was business secretary at the time, said he was unaware of Andrew sharing such information. “This is the first I’ve heard of it,” he said.
In another email dated 9 February 2011, Andrew appeared to suggest Epstein consider investing in a private equity firm he had visited just a week earlier.
Official terms governing the role of trade envoys state that while envoys are not civil servants, they are bound by a duty of confidentiality covering sensitive, commercial or political information obtained through their work. This obligation continues even after leaving office and is reinforced by the Official Secrets Acts of 1911 and 1989.
Andrew has faced sustained scrutiny over his association with Epstein for several years. In October last year, he was stripped of his royal titles amid renewed questions about the relationship.
Earlier this month, he moved out of Royal Lodge in Windsor to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Buckingham Palace confirmed the move in October, alongside the removal of his title. He is currently residing at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate while renovations are carried out on his new permanent home.
Melissa Enoch
About the Author
