Queen pushed for Andrew to be trade envoy, paper reveals

Published May 22, 2026 Updated May 22, 2026 08:35am
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Andrew and Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh watch the racing on the second day of the Epsom Derby Festival in Surrey, southern England, on June 4, 2016. —AFP/File
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Andrew and Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh watch the racing on the second day of the Epsom Derby Festival in Surrey, southern England, on June 4, 2016. —AFP/File

LONDON: Britain’s late queen Elizabeth II pushed for her son Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to be given a high-profile job as a trade envoy, a senior official said in a 2000 document released by the government on Thursday.

The British government agreed to release the documents related to the disgraced former prince’s role as trade envoy from 2001 to 2011, amid the fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his remaining royal titles following the release of US files related to Epstein last year, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to the late American sex offender. He is accused of sharing sensitive information with Epstein during his time as an official trade envoy for Britain. The former prince was released after being questioned for hours by police and has not been charged. He denies any wrongdoing.

The 11 documents published by the government discuss the appointment of the former prince to a role as a special envoy for British Trade International (BTI), which promoted the UK abroad.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2026

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