Andrew humiliated the royals by dragging the late-Queen into his mess | Royal | News

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has already brought shame on his daughters and the Royal Family – now his alleged behaviour is threatening his mother’s spotless reputation. Files released this week reveal that Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who died in 2022, was “very keen” for her son to take on a “prominent role in the promotion of national interests”.

She specifically requested he be appointed a UK trade envoy – possibly to instill sense, maturity, responsibility and national pride in the playboy prince once dubbed ‘Randy Andy’. Then-chief executive of British Trade International, Sir David Wright, said in a memo she saw her son as being “a natural fit” for the job, as a tranche of files relating to his 2001 appointment were released by the Government on Thursday.

But whatever her reasons, the late Queen’s plea has backfired spectacularly and could now damage her own reputation as one of our most admired monarchs.

In February, Andrew – who denies any wrongdoing – was arrested on his 66th birthday at Sandringham and questioned on suspicion of misconduct in a public office.

Thames Valley Police have been probing the alleged sharing of confidential material by Andrew in the Trade Envoy role with late paedophile sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

It’s been claimed Andrew shared reports from trade visits, forwarded a confidential briefing on investment in Afghanistan, and passed a Treasury briefing to a personal business contact.

But Government files released this week show no vetting process before he secured the prestigious, unpaid role where taxpayers funded his jaunts across the globe.

In a memo to the then-foreign and trade secretaries on 25 February 2000, Sir David Wright wrote: “The Queen’s wish is that the Duke of Kent should be succeeded in this role by the Duke of York.

“The Duke of Kent is to relinquish his responsibilities around April next year. That would fit well with the end of the Duke of York’s active naval career.

“The Queen is very keen that the Duke of York should take on a prominent role in the promotion of national interests.

“No other member of The Royal Family would be available to succeed the Duke of Kent. The Duke of York’s adoption of his role would seem a natural fit.”

But Andrew’s decade in the job, which he left in 2011, was not without controversy – even before his enduring and close friendship with convicted pervert Epstein came to light.

For example, in October 2008, a US ambassador wrote in a secret cable that Andrew spoke “cockily” during an official engagement, leading a discussion that “verged on the rude”.

Diplomats in Bahrain reportedly dubbed him “His Buffoon Highness” for doing the opposite of what had been agreed, while being frequently rude.

Since then the Epstein Files have brought a series of shocking allegations against Andrew.

He invited the recently-released Epstein to Buckingham Palace in September 2010, promising him “lots of privacy”.

Disturbing images, contained in the three million documents released by the US Department of Justice in January, show Andrew crouched over a mystery woman lying on her back.

Meanwhile emails from Epstein to Andrew show him setting the then Duke of York up for dinner with a 26-year-old “beautiful and trustworthy” Russian model.

Worse emails show Andrew hailing Epstein’s freedom from his sentence for procuring a 14-year-old for prostitution as “really, really good news”.

Now these fresh files show that as Queen Elizabeth II put her reputation on the line for her son, he has shown a complete disregard for his mother’s trust.

Andrew has already brought misery to his family thanks to the Epstein Files – now he has weaponised republicans eager to stain his mother’s memory.

He should hang his head in shame but the pompous ex-prince has proved immune to ignominy.