Palace knew Andrew was sharing sensitive info 6 years ago, new court files show | Royal | News
Emails given to Buckingham Palace in 2020 (Image: Getty)
Bombshell court documents have revealed Buckingham Palace was given emails showing then-trade envoy Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared classified government information six years ago. It was revealed that an archive of 30,000 emails containing information about the former prince’s controversial financial affairs was given to the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior civil servant of the Royal Household, held by Lord Peel in 2020.
The emails were obtained from a personal business contact of the former Duke of York. It comes after Thames Valley Police issued a new appeal for people to come forward with information last week, following Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office. But a search of court documents revealed that large amounts of emails regarding the former prince’s finances were sent to Palace officials years before the current investigations began.
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In 2020, the post of Lord Chamberlain was assumed by Lord Peel. (Image: Getty)
The emails were the subject of a legal dispute and documents in a High Court judgment in April 2021 show that “a copy of the archive” was provided to the Lord Chamberlain in May 2020.
A subsequent Supreme Court ruling in June 2022 referred 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 stepped down as a working royal in November 2019 following a BBC Newsnight interview involving a car crash.
Asked what happened to the emails, Buckingham Palace said: “As there is an ongoing police investigation into Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, it is not possible to make any comment on these matters.”
Earlier this year The Telegraph revealed emails showing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor requesting a confidential Treasury briefing before passing it on to a personal business contact in 2010, telling him “before you make your move”. The briefing reportedly touched on concerns about Iceland’s banking sector and was sent to British businessman Jonathan Rowland. His father, David Rowland, later took control of the Luxembourg arm of the failed Icelandic bank Kaupthing (later renamed Banque Havilland).
Andrew calls David Rowland ‘reliable money man’ (Image: Getty)
Jonathan Rowland said that the emails were taken from his account and later became part of the legal proceedings, during which it was revealed that the copies were shared with the Palace. The correspondence related to a controversial period in Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s financial ties with the Rowland family and Banque Havilland.
Separately, the Epstein files highlighted his close ties to Rowlands; these included support for his business interests and references to David Rowland as the “trusty money man”.
Court documents show the emails were taken from Jonathan Rowland’s account following a business dispute and then purchased by retail entrepreneur Kevin Stanford. It was reported that the archive was shared with officials in Monaco and Luxembourg, as well as officials at Buckingham Palace, through the Lord Chamberlain. Emails from Queen Elizabeth II It is believed to have been forwarded to the Palace during Elizabeth’s reign, some of which was shared with a journalist, and contained informative reports about Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s financial affairs.
Author Andrew Lownie calls for greater transparency over former prince’s public role (Image: Getty)
Writer Andrew Lownie has since called for greater transparency about the former prince’s public role, arguing that Freedom of Information requests continue to be blocked. Recently, his request regarding a trip to Azerbaijan in 2011 was rejected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on national security and law enforcement grounds.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing regarding Jeffrey Epstein and has also denied allegations that he personally benefited from his role as trade envoy.
According to the BBC, Thames Valley Police were asked whether they could now access 30,000 emails disputed in the High Court five years ago. A spokesperson said they could not comment on specific information but said: “We are aware of allegations circulating in the public domain and would encourage anyone with relevant information to get in touch.”
A Government spokesman said: “We are co-operating fully with Thames Valley Police and last week published documents about the creation of the role and the appointment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in 2001.”
The Express has contacted Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for comment.
