Royal Vetting Files to Be Public: A New Chapter in Accountability

The UK government has decided to make public the documents used to vet Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor for a trade role. This follows his arrest and the growing scrutiny of his links to Jeffrey Epstein.

During a recent parliamentary debate, opposition lawmakers questioned whether the traditional rule that keeps members of the royal family off the political record still makes sense. Mountbatten‑Windsor’s arrest – his first in over 300 years of British monarchy – has prompted calls to end that convention.

A junior trade minister described Mountbatten‑Windsor’s conduct as a trade envoy as “self‑interested and arrogant.” He called the former prince “rude, arrogant and entitled,” noting that he could not separate public duty from personal gain. Although the trade envoy position is unpaid, it involves worldwide travel and meetings with senior business and government officials.

The police investigation began after U.S. authorities released emails that appeared to show the former prince passing confidential trade documents to Epstein. Trade envoys are normally prohibited from sharing such material, raising concerns about breaches of confidentiality rules.

Opposition MPs urged that the royal family should no longer be protected from parliamentary scrutiny. “These archaic rules mock our democracy,” said one MP, arguing that no one should be above the law. The Speaker of the House allowed debate on Mountbatten‑Windsor because he is no longer a royal after losing his titles.

The Liberal Democrats applied pressure through a humble address—a parliamentary procedure that forces the government to release documents. The motion passed unanimously, though only a few members of the ruling Labour Party and opposition Conservatives were present.

The minister responsible for trade said he would try to release the documents quickly, but officials must ensure that doing so does not interfere with ongoing police work. Publishing the vetting files could embarrass former ministers, including those from Tony Blair’s era, and add to the royal family’s crisis over Mountbatten‑Windsor’s ties to Epstein.

The former prince has not spoken publicly since more than three million pages of U.S. documents were released, showing he had forwarded reports about places like Vietnam and Singapore to Epstein in 2010. These revelations add to the controversy surrounding his conduct while serving as a trade envoy.