Disgraced former royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is facing fresh scrutiny after newly released documents showed he forwarded confidential UK trade envoy reports to Jeffrey Epstein while serving in an official government role.
Emails released by the US Department of Justice indicate that in November 2010, Andrew, then a UK global trade envoy, forwarded an email containing at least four official assessments of trade visits in South East Asia to Epstein just five minutes after receiving them from his special adviser. The reports covered trips to Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen and were written by government advisers as part of Andrew’s taxpayer-funded role.
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Credit: Jae Donnelly
Credit: US Department of Justice
Under UK government guidance, trade envoys are bound by strict duties of confidentiality, particularly regarding sensitive commercial or political information. Experts and former senior police figures say the disclosures could amount to misconduct in public office.
Former royal protection commander Dai Davies said Andrew should face a criminal investigation similar to the probe now surrounding Peter Mandelson, who is accused of sharing market-sensitive information with Epstein while serving as a minister. Davies described the failure to investigate Andrew as “a national scandal,” adding that any disclosure of confidential state information to Epstein “must be investigated as a criminal act.”
The emails show Andrew forwarded the reports while staying at Epstein’s New York mansion during a long weekend, raising further questions about whether sensitive UK government business was discussed directly with the convicted sex offender. Andrew has previously claimed that a 2010 visit to New York was solely to end his friendship with Epstein.
The revelations also add to a growing body of evidence highlighting Epstein’s proximity to British political and business figures. Recent document releases showed Mandelson allegedly tipping Epstein off about a major EU bailout in 2009, which could have allowed investors to make millions.
Andrew, who served as a trade envoy from 2001 to 2010, has consistently denied wrongdoing. However, critics say the newly uncovered emails undermine those denials and deepen concerns about how deeply Epstein was embedded in UK political and commercial circles.
Scotland Yard has so far declined to comment on whether it is reviewing the emails involving Andrew.
