Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was never formally vetted to be a trade envoy, according to an investigation into his allegedly passing confidential investment information to deceased sex predator Jeffrey Epstein in 2010. File Photo by Julien Warnand/EPA
May 21 (UPI) -- Files released about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in the wake of his arrest over suspicion of misconduct in public office suggest he was never vetted to become a trade envoy for the United Kingdom.
Among the 11 newly released documents is one expressing that Mountbatten-Windsor's mother, Queen Elizabeth, was "very keen" for her son to be appointed to the position, alongside a memo from the current trade minister that no evidence exists of a background investigation before he took the role.
Mountbatten-Windsor was appointed to the role in 2001, when he was still called Prince Andrew, but 10 years later resigned in 2011 as his ties to Jeffrey Epstein -- then alive, a convicted sex offender -- started to become public.
He lost his titles, including prince, earlier this year after the release of some Epstein-related files by the U.S. Department of Justice showed that he had continued his relationship with Epstein, among other accusations.
