Andrew accused of claiming massages, lavish travel costs at public expense

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is facing fresh scrutiny after whistleblowing retired civil servants alleged that taxpayer money was used for massage services and excessive travel costs during his tenure as the United Kingdom’s trade representative, according to a BBC investigation.

One former civil servant, who worked in the UK trade department in the early 2000s, told the BBC he refused to approve a claim linked to “massage services” following a Middle East visit but was overruled by senior officials. “I thought it was wrong… I’d said we mustn’t pay it, but we ended up paying it anyway,” the former official told the BBC.

The Department for Business and Trade has not challenged the claim relating to Mountbatten-Windsor’s period as envoy between 2001 and 2011, but referred to an ongoing police investigation. The BBC reported that Mountbatten-Windsor was approached for comment; he has consistently rejected wrongdoing in relation to associations with financier Jeffrey Epstein and denied any personal gain from his trade role.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s position was unpaid, though overseas visits were supported by civil servants and funded by taxpayers.

Whistleblower accounts

According to the BBC, two former civil servants — both speaking anonymously — independently came forward with allegations about expense claims and spending patterns. The broadcaster said it had not seen proof of the massage expense from more than two decades ago, but had verified documentary evidence linking the whistleblowers to the relevant departments at the time.

A former senior Whitehall official told the BBC there was “absolutely no doubt” about the authenticity of similar expenses and described flights, hotel rooms and entourage costs as excessive. “I couldn’t believe it… it was like it wasn’t real money, they weren’t spending any of their own money,” the official told the BBC.

The official also alleged that expenses were dispersed across different budgets, making oversight difficult, and that senior civil servants showed deference to Mountbatten-Windsor, resulting in checks receiving a “rubber stamp”.

Another retired official told the BBC he regretted not pushing harder at the time, saying concerns about the massage claim could have been an early warning sign. “I can’t say it would have stopped him, but we should have flagged that something was wrong,” he told the BBC.

The report noted that nothing unlawful has been alleged in relation to the expenses claims.

Epstein links, past allegations

The BBC report said there have been previous claims about Mountbatten-Windsor’s use of massages. In a US court statement, a former Epstein employee alleged he had a “daily massage” during visits to Florida, though it is unclear whether references in certain ledgers to an “Andrew” relate to him.

Biographer Andrew Lownie, who is updating his book Entitled, was first contacted by the whistleblowers before they agreed to speak to the BBC. Lownie has criticised the lack of publicly available information about Mountbatten-Windsor’s tenure, with multiple Freedom of Information requests reportedly rejected due to the scale of records involved.

Political and official response

MPs on the Business and Trade Committee are expected to discuss a possible inquiry into trade envoys later this week, the BBC reported. The Liberal Democrats are preparing to push for a Commons debate, while former Conservative minister Tom Tugendhat has called for an inquiry led by MPs, peers and judges.

Another retired UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) official told the BBC Mountbatten-Windsor could sometimes undermine trade efforts. “Andrew was seen as a liability. He went off script… he thought he was funny, when he was being rude to people,” the official said.

The Department for Business and Trade stated that Mountbatten-Windsor served as the “UK Special Representative for International Trade and Investment”, a role different from today’s trade envoys, who now operate under formalised conduct rules.

Separately, Thames Valley Police arrested Mountbatten-Windsor on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, though he has not been charged. The investigation is ongoing.