Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor secretly used an official trade mission to help strike a multi-million-pound deal for his business associates to sell oil to China, emails seen by The Mail on Sunday suggest.
The emails expose how Andrew apparently exploited a taxpayer-funded trip to China by working with his top aide to broker deals in the hopes of making ‘tons of money’ with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew and his adviser David Stern, a fixer for both the former prince and Epstein, plotted to do business with a multi-billion-pound oil company owned by the Chinese state both before and after the ten-day visit in September 2010.
The former duke even had lunch in Beijing with the oil company’s chairman as part of his official duties as UK trade envoy during the trip.
Emails buried in the Epstein Files show that in July of that year, Andrew and an investment banker discussed the ‘placement of private oil’ in relation to the upcoming visit. Andrew told the banker that Stern was ‘excited’ about the deal, adding: ‘We could work on this in September whilst there [in China].’
Andrew’s role as trade envoy was to promote British business and attract investment on a raft of taxpayer-funded trips around the world between 2001 and 2011.
It now appears that he frequently blurred the lines between official duties and private interests, with the rules seemingly unclear on what he was allowed to do.
Last week, the MoS revealed that Andrew carved out the first half of this trade mission to spend time ‘privately’ – including socialising with 23-year-old Chinese model Miya Muqi and going to business meetings arranged by Epstein, in an apparent breach of protocol.
The then-Prince Andrew speaking at Nankai University in Tianjin, China during his official trade visit in 2010
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor socialised with Chinese model Miya Muqi (pictured) during an official trade mission the same year
Before the trip, Abu Dhabi-based investment banker Terence Allen emailed Andrew to say: ‘I have finally been in touch with David [Stern] in regards to China. I have outlined the exchange deal of private placement for oil. We will be pursuing in due course.’
In response, Andrew told him: ‘The idea that you write about he has mentioned to me but only in passing and from what I remember he was excited about it and we could work on this in September whilst there. I have some private days prior to the official programme starting.’
The banker replied: ‘The oil barter deal is there for the making.’ Andrew forwarded all this to Mr Stern, who in turn forwarded it to Epstein.
In separate emails before the trip, also forwarded to Epstein, Mr Allen told Mr Stern: ‘I am awaiting authorization from the Government here [in Abu Dhabi] to specifically make the request for you to arrange the ‘loan for oil’ deal.’
Then, during the official part of the trip, Andrew had lunch in Beijing with the chairman of the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC).
Just ten days after this lunch, Mr Stern told Epstein: ‘[Andrew] has asked me to see a guy who has access to Nigeria oil and when selling it to China (or somebody else) F. can make around $6m.’
The letter F is understood to refer to Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s ex-wife, but it is not known whether she did make $6 million (about £4.5 million). Last night her spokesman declined to comment.
And although it is unclear whether this email relates to Andrew’s meeting with the CNOOC chairman, the following week Mr Stern shared the details of a $400 million deal between the Chinese oil company and Epstein.
Then a month later, in November 2010, emails show Mr Stern discussing an ‘asset of interest’ with a vice president of CNOOC. Forwarding the correspondence to Epstein, Stern wrote: ‘We can help them by getting it done and fronting the deal etc.. Can you structure so we make tons of $…?’
In direct response Epstein asked for Andrew’s mobile number.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor did not respond to a request for comment last night.
Bankers advice to fly under the radar
By Miles Dilworth
The former Prince Andrew and his banker friend Jonathan Rowland discussed continuing their controversial relationship ‘under the radar’ to escape media scrutiny.
Leaked messages between the ex-duke and his business associate exposing their secretive dealings were revealed by The Mail on Sunday back in 2019.
The pair discussed how to manage the growing public anger over Andrew’s ties to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Rowland suggested the former prince could fly ‘under the radar’ if public pressure forced him to quit his role as the UK’s trade envoy.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (right) and David Rowland (left) at Ascot in 2006. Messages seen by this newspaper appear to show that Andrew allowed Mr Rowland, a millionaire financier, to effectively join in with his official duties
The banker told Andrew that this could be a favourable outcome as it would mean he would be free to act ‘without much accountability’.
‘It never ends!!’ an exasperated Mr Rowland wrote to the then-duke in March 2011. ‘I had Mail and Telegraph on all day… Told them you attended bank as Trade Envoy supporting a British-owned business.’
‘Thank you,’ replied Andrew. ‘There is a real case of vindictiveness in this.’
Later, he asked Mr Rowland’s advice on how to handle the fallout, who suggested: ‘You could put your Trade position to a national vote. If it goes wrong you resign and we carry on completely under the radar of everybody because nobody would be able to criticise you any more.’
