The Andrew formerly known as ‘Prince’ was always supposedly his mother’s favourite child. He had a degree of indulgence paid to him that his (far more deserving) siblings never received. Newly released files suggest that this indulgence went far beyond any kind of explicable or appropriate fashion.
Correspondence between Sir David Wright, chief executive of British Trade International, and then-foreign secretary Robin Cook from 2000 suggests that the late Queen was ‘very keen’ for the former Duke of York to take on a ‘prominent role in the promotion of national interests’. This, in turn, led to the creation of ‘Air Miles Andy’, with Mountbatten-Windsor acting as a roving trade envoy. He had apparently unfettered access to diplomatic lounges and, if the stories are to be believed, young women in the five-star hotels and embassies in which he stayed.
It is also clear that Andrew has always been seen as a moron by those around him. Another memo stated that he should not be ‘burdened with the regularity of meetings … or the burden of paper which goes along with board membership’. Under normal circumstances, this might be seen as difficult for a high-profile appointment of this nature, so officials were told to describe his ‘high profile and commitment’, rather than any meaningful experience.
