Prince Andrew has seemingly deliberately shared classified information with Jeffrey Epstein during his tenure as trade envoy between 2010 and 2011, according to fresh US court documents examined by the BBC.
Correspondence from the recently released Epstein papers shows the disgraced Royal forwarded briefings about trips to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam, along with confidential investment intelligence.
The documents also contain details of potential investments. Andrew, 65, served as trade envoy from 2001 to 2011, and the emails were exchanged with Epstein following the US financier’s conviction and imprisonment in 2008 for soliciting sex with a minor.
Trade envoys are bound by strict confidentiality obligations. Documents within the files include emails sent on 7 October 2010, in which Andrew allegedly informed Epstein of forthcoming trips.
They also suggest he emailed Epstein on Christmas Eve 2010, sharing a confidential briefing on investment opportunities in Afghanistan, a project supervised by British forces and funded by the Government. Andrew has consistently denied wrongdoing.
The emails show that on 7 October 2010, Andrew sent details about his upcoming official visits as trade envoy to Singapore, Vietnam, Shenzhen in China and Hong Kong to Epstein, with the paedophile’s business associates accompanying him.
In the aftermath of the trip, on 30 November, he appeared to forward official visit summaries written by his then-chief aide, Amit Patel, to Epstein just five minutes after receiving them.
During his 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, Andrew maintained that his last meeting with Epstein took place in New York in early December 2010, when he claimed to have severed ties with the disgraced financier.
Yet on Christmas Eve that same year, he emailed Epstein a confidential briefing detailing investment prospects in Helmand Province, on Afghanistan’s reconstruction, which was then overseen by British forces and bankrolled by UK taxpayers.
At this stage, Epstein had already been convicted as a sex offender.
Sir Vince Cable, who held the position of business secretary at the time, admitted his astonishment:
« I was unaware of Andrew… sharing information about investment opportunities [in Afghanistan] before, this is the first I’ve heard of it. »
In a subsequent email dated 9 February 2011, Andrew suggested that Epstein might be interested in investing in a private equity firm he had toured just seven days previously.
The official guidance for trade envoys makes clear that they « are not civil servants », but states: « However, the role of a Trade Envoy carries with it a duty of confidentiality in relation to information received.
« This may include sensitive, commercial, or political information shared about relevant markets/visits. »
They further state: « This duty of confidentiality will continue to apply after the expiry of their term of office.
« In addition, the Official Secrets Acts 1911 and 1989 will apply. »
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