Sun, 15 Feb 2026

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 Andrew's time as trade envoy should be investigated, says Vince Cable

The former prince's alleged actions were "totally unacceptable", the ex-business secretary says.
A former business secretary, Sir Vince Cable, has called for an investigation into Prince Andrew's time as trade envoy due to concerns over possible corruption. The US Department of Justice released files showing that Prince Andrew forwarded UK government documents and commercial information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Sir Vince stated: "His behaviour was totally unacceptable". He suggested a police or DPP check to determine if criminal corruption occurred, and a government investigation into how this happened. Prince Andrew travelled globally in his role as trade envoy from 2001-2011, with access to senior government and business contacts worldwide. A 2010 email conversation involving Aston Martin and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was shared with Epstein. The conversation included details about RBS's plans to restructure and internal conflicts at Aston Martin. Prince Andrew's activities as trade envoy have raised questions about his use of sensitive information for personal purposes. He had a duty of confidentiality over this information, according to official guidance.
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