Government accused of 'cover up' over Andrew records
The Cabinet Office has been accused of covering up for the Royal family after it emerged official papers which refer to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have been withheld from the National Archives.
The annual release of government papers to the archives in Kew, west London, under the 20-year rule includes a No 10 file from 2004 and 2005 on Royal visits.
The version originally made available to journalists under embargo, so they could prepare stories in advance, included minutes of a meeting where officials discussed the travel plans of various Royals – including the Duke of York as he then still was.
However the minutes were later redacted from the file before it was made available to the public.
The Cabinet Office, which is responsible for transferring the files to the National Archives, blamed an “administrative error” as they had never been intended for release.
A spokesman said: “All records are managed in line with the requirements of the Public Records Act. Any release is subject to an extensive review process, including engaging expert stakeholders.”
However Graham Smith, CEO of anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, said there was no justification for withholding the documents, since Andrew has been stripped of his Royal status amid controversy over his links with Jeffery Epstein.
“There should be no royal exemption at all. But this exemption surely doesn’t apply to Andrew now he’s no longer a Royal,” Mr Smith said.