Ambassador’s warning to Government over ‘crass and offensive’ envoy Andrew: ‘He does our interests no good’

A British ambassador warned the Government more than two decades ago that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s behavior as a traveling trade ambassador was damaging to his country and the Royal Family.

Diplomatic documents leaked to The Mail on Sunday reveal that Andrew, who was recommended for the role by his friend Peter Mandelson, caused deep concern among officials just weeks after he started the job.

The then ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Patrick Nixon, said of the then Duke of York’s visit to the region in November 2001: ‘I was particularly alarmed by some of the rude and offensive remarks he made to select Emiratis about Saudi Arabia and its oil.’

But it was Andrew’s behavior at the reception during a return visit the following year that prompted Mr Nixon to complain to the Government.

His concerns reached the head of the diplomatic service at the Foreign Office in London, but it would be almost a decade before Andrew was forced to leave his post as UK trade ambassador due to his links to Jeffrey Epstein.

During this time, he is said to have passed potentially confidential and sensitive documents to the convicted pedophile.

In a letter dated October 15, 2002 and marked RESTRICTED – PERSONAL,

Mr Nixon told UK Trade and Industry director-general Sir Stephen Brown that ‘the Duke had damaged rather than improved our reputation and that of the Royal Family’ by rudely ignoring some dignitaries, including an Emirati royal.

Andrew with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, in November 2001

The embassy reception, attended by 400 guests on October 9, was held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the British engineering company Halcrow’s business in the Gulf.

One guest, Sheikh Saif, nephew of the ruler of Fujairah on the UAE’s east coast, traveled four hours to meet Andrew but was turned away after waiting another hour at the reception to greet him.

‘I had to phone the director of the Ruler’s Court to apologise,’ said Simon Collis, then Consul General in Dubai. ‘Dr Al Kindi was characteristically polite but it was clear he thought the move was appropriate.’

After receiving Mr Nixon’s letter detailing Andrew’s aggressive behavior, Sir Stephen escalated the matter to the Foreign Office.

In a letter to the head of the diplomatic service, Michael Jay, he said: ‘I find it inexplicable that someone whose own life is governed by royal protocol should not appreciate the damage he has done.’

Sir Stephen, who “encountered two similar but potentially less damaging incidents” when Andrew visited Singapore, said he sympathized “deeply” with British diplomats serving in the UAE.

He concluded that Andrew had done ‘no good for our interests, and no good for himself, by such an ill-considered move’, adding despairingly that the then prince ‘told me that he intended to visit the Gulf every year. Does this, or the visits of those disturbed to the UK, provide any opportunity to repair the damage? Or is it best to leave the matter aside?’

The embassy confusion was fully detailed in Mr. Collis’s report of 15 October; Collis noted that Halcrow changed the date of the event to accommodate Andrew as the ‘guest of honour’.

Diplomatic documents leaked to The Mail on Sunday reveal that Andrew, who was recommended for the role by his friend Peter Mandelson, caused deep concern among officials just weeks after he started the job

After receiving Mr Nixon’s letter detailing Andrew’s aggressive behaviour, Sir Stephen Brown wrote to the head of the diplomatic service, Michael Jay, and referred the matter to the Foreign Office.

He wrote: ‘We were keeping an eye on the Duke’s behavior at the reception during his last visit, he arrived late and avoided the “parliamentary” area until the last minute [sitting places] It is where the Emirate’s high-ranking dignitaries habitually sit on this occasion.

‘We agreed that the Duke would enter directly into the parliamentary grounds upon arrival, greet the assembled dignitaries, be presented with a specially produced souvenir copy of Halcrow’s book which he had received from the President (the only photo op of the event), and remain in the chamber while the President made a four-minute speech.

‘The whole process takes no more than ten minutes. HRH would then have the freedom to follow his own instincts and mingle freely with the other guests… All this was agreed with Halcrow and the Duke’s Private Secretary.’

But ignoring carefully prepared plans, Andrew ‘deliberately instructed his driver to drop her off at the public entrance to the garden and drove into the crowd of guests’.

To the dismay of diplomats, he rejected their repeated calls to ‘join the assembly’.

Mr Collis said: ‘He brushed off attempts to introduce him to dignitaries there, preferring to do the deeds himself, with the result that he was unable to properly welcome his most senior guest, Sheikh Saif, a young man groomed for important decision-making.’

Mr Collis, who later became British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, added: ‘The net impact of this behavior on both British exporters and their most senior Emirati sponsors and customers was negative.’

Andrew in the UAE in November 2001. During this visit, the former prince allegedly belittled Sheikh Saif, the nephew of the ruler of Fujairah on the UAE’s east coast, who waited hours to meet Andrew.

Later Halcrow chairman Tony Allum complained to the Consul-General about the Duke’s behaviour, but was “more in sorrow than anger”.

“He stated that he acted in a similar manner at an event held with Halcrow in England at the beginning of the year,” Mr. Collis wrote.

Mr Collis encouraged Mr Allum to speak candidly when he met Sir Stephen because ‘he needed to know what experience British businessmen had of our Special Envoy’.

And inviting Andrew to another reception, he concluded, would be “counterproductive in terms of relations with the Sheikhs and other senior Emiratis (here the audience the Duke is best suited to influence) unless we are sure he is prepared to stick to an agreed schedule for ten minutes.”

Andrew was forced to give up his business position in 2011 due to his connections to Epstein.

From the beginning, Charles had expressed concerns about his younger brother’s suitability for the role but his mother, the Queen, overruled him with the support of Mandelson, the former business secretary who, like Andrew, is currently under investigation for allegations of misconduct in public office.

At the time, Mandelson said: ‘As a former trade minister, I know the great importance of trade missions. With the royal union, they can gain access to overseas foreign markets that are of great value to the country’s economy.

‘In this context, the Duke of York will have a very important role for which he is well qualified.

‘This activity on behalf of the nation should not be confused with the business activities for personal gain associated with some other members of the Royal Family.’