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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor used Prince William’s wedding to shore up his position as UK trade envoy, secret emails suggest.
As the heir to the throne tied the knot at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, the Duke of York was fighting to hold on to his job amid a firestorm over his links to Jeffrey Epstein and his behaviour during official engagements.
It followed the leaking of a US diplomatic cable in which the then-US ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Tatiana Gfoeller, described Andrew as ‘cocky’ and ‘rude’.
It also revealed that he had privately railed against British anti-corruption investigators.
In the run-up to William’s wedding to Catherine Middleton, rumours swirled that the duke might be blacklisted from his nephew’s nuptials.
However, he did attend, together with his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, wearing his ceremonial Navy uniform.
A private email exchange later that day indicates that he used the occasion to discuss his troubles with the then-prime minister David Cameron, who was a guest at the wedding along with his wife Samantha, and then-leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband.
Although the messages do not specifically mention the wedding, it seems almost certain to have been the context.
The then-Prince Andrew with his daughters Princess Eugenie (left) and Princes Beatrice (right) at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding. It is suggested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor used the wedding to shore up his position as UK trade envoy
Then-Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha at Kate and William's wedding. A private email exchange indicates that Andrew used the occasion to discuss his troubles with Cameron
In the exchange, Andrew’s business associate Jonathan Rowland wrote: ‘Looks like everything went well.’ Andrew replied that it had ‘all gone off very well thanks’.
Mr Rowland commented: ‘Good. It looked amazing. Good opportunity for you to stick two fingers up at all the doubters.’
Andrew replied: ‘Yup!’, saying he had had a ‘very supportive chat with the PM and Ed Milliband [sic] interestingly’.
Less than three months later, he was forced to resign as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment.
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