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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor leaked sensitive information about the taxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland to Jeffrey Epstein when he was supposed to be representing the UK as a trade envoy, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The disgraced former duke passed on details he learned from meetings with bank executives in the wake of its £45billion state bailout, documents released by the US Department of Justice show.
Shockingly, Andrew revealed information about RBS shake-up plans and, without foundation, alleged that experts overseeing the bank were privately critical of its chief executive.
He also passed on information about Aston Martin, including claims of internal tensions amid a slump in sales.
Our revelations will fuel calls for Thames Valley Police to open an investigation into allegations that Andrew leaked confidential reports to Epstein while trade envoy, a taxpayer-funded post he held from 2001 to 2011.
Former business secretary Vince Cable last night accused Andrew of ‘dreadful, cynical behaviour’ adding that the police and Director of Public Prosecutions will have to judge whether ‘criminal misconduct’ had taken place.
City expert Ian Fraser, whose book Shredded detailed the near-collapse of RBS, said last night: ‘Why the hell did Andrew consider it appropriate to glean potentially market-sensitive information about the state-rescued bank RBS from private meetings and then leak this to contacts he clearly wished to impress?’
Among the three million documents in the Epstein Files is an email exchange from July 2010 between Andrew and Terence Allen, an investment banker in the United Arab Emirates.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor passed on details he learned from meetings with bank executives in the wake of its £45billion state bailout, documents released by the US Department of Justice show
Shockingly, Andrew revealed information about RBS shake-up plans and, without foundation, alleged that experts overseeing the bank were privately critical of its chief executive (file image)
Mr Allen said there was ‘clearly’ a ‘bunch of assets for sale’ at RBS, adding: ‘We are looking at some of their distressed real estate for our clients.’
His message came as RBS bosses were engaged in a huge ‘fire sale’ after it was rescued by the Government in 2008.
Replying to Mr Allen, Andrew said he had been told by an RBS executive that RBS-owned private bank Drummonds would ‘be reviewed’ and become ‘more integrated’ with Royal bankers Coutts.
Andrew also revealed that chief executive Sir Stephen Hester was not thinking of selling a stake in RBS’s ‘subsidiary brands’ because he had ‘more important things to worry about.’ The former duke forwarded his emails to his adviser David Stern, a German-born businessman, who in turn sent them on to Epstein.
Mr Fraser said this information could have been ‘very useful’ to potential investors
Andrew also suggested that UK Financial Investments, the organisation overseeing RBS, was privately critical of the way the bank was being run, saying Sir Stephen ‘isn’t all that well thought of’.
Mr Fraser said Andrew’s comments were ‘shocking and disgraceful’ as Sir Stephen is widely credited with stabilising RBS (now NatWest) when he took over in 2009.
Andrew’s memo to Mr Allen, again forwarded by Mr Stern to Epstein, also claimed Andrew had been ‘kept in the picture’ about Aston Martin, claiming there were ‘conflicts between internal parties’ and tensions between management and its Kuwaiti owners.
The car maker last night said it had no evidence in its records of Andrew having had any direct contact with its executives. NatWest Group declined to comment.
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