Ex-Prince Andrew was enthusiastically championed for the role of UK trade envoy by none other than Peter Mandelson, it has emerged.
Lord Mandelson, who is now under investigation by police himself, dismissed concerns about Andrew’s suitability from a number of critics – including his older brother.
Charles, then the Prince of Wales, was worried his errant sibling would ‘use the post’ to ‘cultivate friendships with the wealthy, chase women and play golf’, according to Private Eye.
But in 2001, when Andrew was put forward to replace the Duke of Kent, Mandelson said the then Duke of York was ‘well qualified’ for the role.
‘As a former trade secretary I know of the great importance of trade missions,’ he reportedly said.
‘With a royal association they can achieve a reach into overseas foreign markets which is of immense value to the economy of the country.
‘In that 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 commercial activities for personal gain which is associated with certain other members of the Royal family.’
Despite Charles’s concerns, the late Queen Elizabeth II is said to have overruled him with such backing from Mandelson, and Andrew was given the role of special representative for international trade and investment in 2001.
Dozens of MPs pushed at the time – unsuccessfully – for a register of royal interests to be established in order to keep a check on any potentially compromising business dealings by members of the Royal Family.
The Guardian reported that Andrew responded at the time about his new position: ‘I am thoroughly looking forward to it.
‘It will be a complete contrast to my role in the navy, where I am necessarily working behind closed doors. Now I will have to deal with the press.’
The Telegraph reported that Mandelson and Andrew knew each other by then, both having worked on an NSPCC campaign together.
They were also both connected to Jeffrey Epstein through their mutual friends Ghislaine Maxwell and Evelyn de Rothschild, the City financier, and his wife Lynn, who were all acquainted with or friends of Epstein.
Maxwell was personally connected to both Mandelson and Andrew.
Mandelson had served as a consultant for her father Robert Maxwell, the media magnate and former owner of the Daily Mirror.
She had been photographed with Andrew at a ‘hookers and pimps’ Halloween party in New York before he was given the trade envoy position.
In 2000, one year before Andrew was given the role, the Telegraph reported that Andrew and Mandelson both attended the wedding of the de Rothschilds.
Lynn Rothschild is named by Maxwell as being the first to introduce Andrew to Epstein in the early 2000s.
The Rothschilds’ summer house in Martha’s Vineyard on a Massachusetts island is also reported as the meeting place for Epstein and Mandelson’s first introduction in 2001.
But in 2011, ten years later, Andrew was forced to give up his trade role over his connections to Epstein.
On Thursday, Andrew became the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested when he was held on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
He was in custody for around 11 hours before he was released under investigation by Thames Valley Police.
The force said searches at a property in Norfolk – Andrew’s home on the Sandringham Estate – have now concluded.
It added that searches of a Berkshire address, Andrew’s former residence Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, will continue.
Andrew was detained on his 66th birthday over allegations he shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.
Thames Valley Police previously said the force was reviewing allegations after emails released by the US Department of Justice appeared to show Andrew sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore with the disgraced financier.
One email from the Epstein Files, dated November 2010, appeared to be forwarded by Andrew five minutes after being sent by his then-special adviser Amir Patel.
Another, on Christmas Eve 2010, appeared to show Andrew sent Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand province in Afghanistan.
Andrew has denied any wrongdoing over his Epstein links, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations.
It was today announced that Lord Mandelson’s lobbying firm has collapsed into administration in the wake of the revelations about the peer’s friendship with Epstein.
Global Counsel was co-founded by Lord Mandelson and previously worked with a roster of clients including Palantir, GSK, Vodafone, TikTok and the Premier League.
The firm announced earlier this month that it had cut ties with Lord Mandelson following the release of the Epstein Files in America.
But the ending of Lord Mandelson’s stake in Global Counsel does not appear to have saved the company’s future, with high-profile clients pulling their business.
Staff at the company were told in a meeting at 1pm on Thursday that it is being placed into administration due to the links between Lord Mandelson and Epstein, it is understood.
A Global Counsel source said it was a terrible situation for staff, who had ‘nothing to do with it’. They added: ‘It’s the end of Mandelson’s legacy.’
Another Global Counsel source told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s a good firm of good people that have been swept away by the millstone of revelations that were nothing to do with the firm.
‘This firm was run completely independently of Peter Mandelson for some years. He left as a director two years ago and then departed. Ninety per cent of the people here have never worked with him.’
In a statement the firm – which has around 130 employees in Berlin, Brussels, London, Singapore, Washington DC and Doha – confirmed it had appointed administrators.
It said the ‘continuing maelstrom of political and media attention surrounding Peter Mandelson has made it challenging to continue with the business in its current form’.
The Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation following allegations that Lord Mandelson sent market-sensitive information to Epstein while he was business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government during the financial crisis.
Scotland Yard said its probe into Lord Mandelson over alleged misconduct in public office would ‘take some time’ after officers finished searching his homes in London and Wiltshire earlier this month.
Lord Mandelson has denied the Epstein files show he broke any laws or acted for personal gain. He has repeatedly said he regrets his friendship with Epstein.
Lord Mandelson has quit the House of Lords, resigned from the Labour Party, and been kicked out of the Privy Council in the wake of the Epstein files being released.
He is still allowed to use his ‘Lord’ title until legislation is passed to formally remove it from him – something Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to do.
