There was no evidence of a formal security inquiry when Andrew became Britain’s trade envoy, minister says | uk news

The government said it appears no formal security investigation or due diligence was carried out before appointing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as trade envoy. It emerged that the late Queen was “very keen” for her son to play a key role in promoting British interests.

The first document relating to Prime Minister Tony Blair’s appointment of the then prince as trade envoy in 2001 included a note dated February 25, 2000, sent to the then foreign secretary, Robin Cook. David Wright, chief executive of British Trade International (BTI) at the time, said it was Queen Elizabeth II’s “desire” for Mountbatten-Windsor to take on the role.

The documents also show that Mountbatten-Windsor’s aide told the government that she preferred to go to “refined countries” and attend ballets rather than plays when visiting abroad. “You should not be offered private golf events overseas,” the aide said. It was a “private activity” and the Duke of York at the time said: “If we take his club he will not play in any public sense.”

His team also preferred to keep Mountbatten-Windsor’s travels in his royal or military capacity separate, and “would prefer that if he were to visit as a member of the Navy, he would also not be on royal duties”.

The government released a historic document on the appointments on Thursday in response to the Liberal Democrats’ move in parliament. It said it found no evidence that any formal due diligence or security investigations had been carried out at the time, despite Mountbatten-Windsor providing a role that gave it access to senior government and business contacts around the world.

“We have found no evidence that any formal due diligence or review process took place,” Trade Secretary Kris Bryant said in a written statement to parliament.

“This new appointment is understandable as it is a continuation of the royal family’s involvement in trade and investment promotion work,” Bryant said, adding that it is understandable because Mountbatten-Windsor replaces the Duke of Kent, who stepped down as vice-chair of the Foreign Trade Committee.

According to Andrew Turnbull, then Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, the issue of “vetting” Mountbatten-Windsor would have “never entered anyone’s head” and would have been anachronistic and “completely foreign” in 2001.

As a prince and duke, he “enjoyed honours” and judging him would have meant asking whether he was “fit and proper”, Sir Turnbull told Radio 4’s World at One. Turnbull said no one would suggest this, especially if the late Queen had wanted her to take on the role.

The release of 11 documents showing how the role was created and Mountbatten-Windsor was appointed comes after the Lib Dems made a modest speech to parliament calling for the publication of documents about the disgraced former US ambassador Peter Mandelson’s role, including all his investigations and correspondence.

In a February 2000 memo to Cook, Wright suggested that Mountbatten-Windsor’s role would include “major trade missions from time to time” as well as some regional travel and two or three overseas visits each year.

A senior official said: “We had no idea that the Duke of York would want to undertake regular meetings of the UK Trade International Board or the burden of paperwork relating to board members.”

The late queen was “very keen” for Mountbatten-Windsor to take on the role, but her team suggested that a briefing note to the former prince before his interview with the Times in 2001 emphasized that this was a “mutual agreement” with the palace.

Mountbatten-Windsor served as Britain’s special representative for international trade and investment from 2001 to 2011, traveling the world without pay to meet senior business and government figures.

An internal cable sent to BTI staff advised that his involvement as a trade envoy would require “careful and sometimes strict media management.”

The late queen’s second son was arrested on charges of official misconduct, becoming the first member of the modern royal family to be arrested. The emails showed him sharing confidential information with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while working as a trade representative. He has previously denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein.

Bryant told lawmakers the government would no longer release files on the appointments. “Of course, we will continue to investigate, despite the complexity of navigating paper-based systems across multiple departments.

“I guarantee the house that if we have more to publish, we will come home with more, but I think this may be our last tranche.”

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