Palace received emails about Andrew’s trade envoy activities six years ago, BBC reports
The Story
According to a BBC report published Saturday, an archive of more than 30,000 emails was handed to Buckingham Palace in 2020 that appears to show Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential information while serving as a government trade envoy. The broadcaster said it had seen court documents suggesting the cache contained information about the former prince’s financial dealings. Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on his 66th birthday in February on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, amid allegations he passed sensitive government information to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. He denies any wrongdoing. The palace stated it could not comment due to the ongoing police inquiry, and Thames Valley police issued a fresh appeal for information last week, indicating it could also investigate sexual misconduct allegations. The emails were reportedly from the account of British businessman Jonathan Rowland, an associate of Mountbatten-Windsor, and were obtained during a dispute with an unnamed colleague. Their full contents are unknown, but they are understood to contain correspondence dating up to June 2013.
Key Facts
- An archive of more than 30,000 emails was handed to the lord chamberlain, the most senior officer in the royal household, in 2020, the BBC reported.
- The emails appear to show Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential information while he was a government trade envoy.
- Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in a public office.
- The allegations involve passing sensitive government information to Jeffrey Epstein.
- Mountbatten-Windsor denies wrongdoing.
- Buckingham Palace said it could not comment because of an ongoing police inquiry.
- Thames Valley police issued a fresh appeal for information last week and is understood to be examining a claim of inappropriate behavior at Royal Ascot.
- The emails came from the account of British businessman Jonathan Rowland, an associate of Mountbatten-Windsor.
- The emails were reportedly forwarded to the palace months after Mountbatten-Windsor stepped down as a working royal.
- Authorities in Monaco and Luxembourg were also informed, the BBC said.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
The full contents of the email archive are unknown, the BBC reported.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – former prince and government trade envoy
- Jonathan Rowland – British businessman and associate of Mountbatten-Windsor
- Kevin Stanford – former majority owner of All Saints, involved in separate dispute
- David Rowland – Jonathan Rowland’s father, linked to Kaupthing Bank
- Lord Peel – lord chamberlain in May 2020
- Emily Maitlis – BBC Newsnight presenter
- Virginia Giuffre – late campaigner who made allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor
- Jeffrey Epstein – disgraced financier
Sources: The Guardian
