The British Government has made public several documents regarding the 2001 appointment of former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as special envoy for trade, from which it appears that no internal checks or formal audits were carried out to detect possible conflicts of interest or risks to the country's reputation.
"We have found no evidence that a formal due diligence or background check process was undertaken. Nor is there any evidence that such a possibility was considered," said the Minister for Trade and Economic Security, Chris Bryant, in a statement to Parliament.
In his explanation, Bryant pointed out that the appointment "represented a continuation of the Royal Family's involvement in promoting trade and investment following the Duke of Kent's decision to step down from his duties as vice-president of British Trade International, a government organization responsible for promoting international trade and foreign investment."
The Trade Minister specified that the publication of these documents responds to a request made by MPs last February, with the aim of clarifying the reasons that led to placing former Prince Andrew in that position, in a context marked by investigations into his links with the deceased businessman and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"Identifying the historical documents requested by the House has not been a simple task. 25 years ago, government departments primarily used paper filing systems. We have had to locate files that might contain relevant information, retrieve them from storage, and conduct manual searches," the minister detailed, alluding to the difficulties in reconstructing the file.
He added that a large part of the released papers have been reviewed and partially censored "to remove personal information" and any data that could harm the United Kingdom's foreign relations. "We have consulted with the Police to ensure that the disclosure of this information does not prejudice their investigation," Bryant stated, referring to the ongoing inquiries into the case.
Likewise, the minister has indicated that information relating to "communications with the Royalty" has also been removed from the documentary batch. "I can assure the House that we have acted with the utmost transparency," he specified, defending the Executive's actions in this process.
Among the disseminated texts is a document that indicates that the late Queen Elizabeth II expressly asked that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor be appointed as the United Kingdom's trade envoy, as can be seen from a letter signed by the chief executive of British Trade International.
The former prince Andrew was arrested at his Sandringham residence in late February for alleged misconduct in a public office, an arrest that took place a few weeks after the British Royal Family initiated the formal procedure to strip him of his official titles.
The former member of the Royal Family was also evicted from the mansion where he lived in Windsor, west of London, a measure that the royal circle defended as "necessary" despite him continuing to deny the accusations and despite him renouncing his dignities in October 2025, including the title of Duke of York.