The documents relating to Prince Andrew’s controversial posting as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment between 2001 and 2011 ‘may have been destroyed’, it is claimed

Documents that could provide revealing information about Prince Andrew’s role as a trade envoy may have been destroyed, according to reports.

The Duke of York took on a role of Special Representative for International Trade and Investment in 2001, a job post with the aim of promoting UK businesses abroad.

He stepped down in 2011 following multiple controversies and criticism over his effectiveness in the position.

He worked under, but did not receive a salary from, the former government body UK Trade & Investment (UKTI). Its responsibilities have since been absorbed by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).

Mainoo trains with England ahead of Belgium friendly

Prince Andrew’s tenure as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment from 2001 to 2011 was widely criticised (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

But according to the Daily Mail, memos, emails and cables sent between officials relating to visits made while Andrew was trade envoy “may no longer be retained”. The Government’s usual “retention policy” means documents deemed of “historical importance” are sent from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) to the National Archives in Kew. Anything else is traditionally destroyed.

The new reports come after biographer Andrew Lownie used a Freedom of Information request to look into documents from 2001 which would have detailed his travel, work schedule, and who may have joined him on trips abroad. But the DBT reportedly told him that they did not hold any documents relating to the role.

A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson told the Mirror: “The Department has complied with our obligations under the Freedom of Information Act, and this was confirmed by the Information Commissioners Office in their decision notice for this case.”

In 2019, a series of resurfaced emails alleged an “astonishing conflict of interest” involving Prince Andrew as trade envoy and his millionaire financier friend, David Rowland. The Mail On Sunday claimed the emails suggest the Prince “allowed the Rowlands family to shoehorn meetings into his official trade tours so they could expand their bank and woo powerful and wealthy clients”. Buckingham Palace insisted at the time that Duke of York was promoting British interests and “not the interests of individuals”. The prince’s diplomacy style also came in for criticism during official engagements, with one ambassador said at the time to have described him as speaking “cockily” and “verging on rude”.