Buckingham Palace was handed emails back in 2020 (Image: Getty)
Buckingham Palace was given emails that would have shown that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then a trade envoy, was sharing confidential government information six years ago, bombshell court documents have revealed. It has emerged that an archive of 30,000 emails, containing information about the former prince’s controversial financial dealings, was given to the Lord Chamberlain – the most senior officer in the Royal Household – a position held by Lord Peel in 2020.
The emails had been taken from a personal business contact of the former Duke of York. This comes after Thames Valley Police issued a fresh appeal for people to come forward with information last week, following Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office in February. However, a search of court documents has revealed that a large cache of emails relating to the ex-prince’s finances had already been sent to Palace officials, years before the current inquiries began.
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In 2020, the post of Lord Chamberlain was held by Lord Peel (Image: Getty)
The emails had been the subject of a legal dispute and documents from a High Court judgment in April 2021 show that a “copy of the archive” had been provided for the “Lord Chamberlain in May 2020″.
In June 2022, a subsequent High Court ruling refers to an email, dated July 10, 2020, stating that the emails had been “delivered to Buckingham Palace”. This was after the then Duke of York had stepped down as a working royal, following his car-crash BBC Newsnight interview in November 2019.
When asked about what happened to the emails, Buckingham Palace said: “Since there is an ongoing police enquiry concerning Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, it is not possible to provide any comment on these matters.”
Earlier this year, The Telegraph revealed emails showing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor requested a confidential Treasury briefing in 2010 before passing it to a personal business contact, telling him: “before you make your move”. The briefing addressed concerns about Iceland’s banking sector and was reportedly sent to British businessman Jonathan Rowland. His father, David Rowland, later took control of the Luxembourg arm of failed Icelandic bank Kaupthing, which later became Banque Havilland.
Andrew called David Rowland his ‘trusted money man’ (Image: Getty)
Jonathan Rowland said the emails were taken from his account and later became part of legal proceedings, during which it emerged copies had been shared with The Palace. The correspondence related to a controversial period in Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s financial ties to the Rowland family and Banque Havilland.
Separately, the Epstein files highlighted his close links to the Rowlands, including support for their business interests and references to David Rowland as his “trusted money man”.
Court documents show the emails were taken from Jonathan Rowland’s account after a business dispute, then acquired by retail entrepreneur Kevin Stanford. The archive was reportedly shared with authorities in Monaco and Luxembourg, as well as Buckingham Palace via the Lord Chamberlain. The emails were handed to the Palace during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, while some were also shared with a journalist and are believed to have informed reports about Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s financial affairs.
Author Andrew Lownie has called for greater transparency over the ex-prince’s public role (Image: Getty)
Author Andrew Lownie has since called for greater transparency over the ex-prince’s public role, arguing that Freedom of Information requests continue to be blocked. He recently had a request relating to a 2011 trip to Azerbaijan rejected by the Foreign Office on national security and law enforcement grounds.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has denied wrongdoing in relation to Jeffrey Epstein and has also rejected claims he personally benefited from his position as a trade envoy.
According to the BBC, Thames Valley Police was asked whether it now had access to the 30,000 emails discussed in the High Court five years ago. A spokesperson said they couldn’t comment on specific information, but said: “We are aware of the allegations circulating in the public domain and encourage anyone with relevant information to get in touch.”
A Government spokesperson said: “We are fully cooperating with Thames Valley Police, and last week we published documents about the creation of the role and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment in 2001.”
The Express has contacted Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for comment.