‘No evidence’ of formal security vetting when Andrew became UK trade envoy, minister says

Formal security vetting and due diligence appears not to have been carried out before the appointment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as trade envoy, the government has said, as it emerged that that the late queen was “very keen” for her son to take up a prominent role in promoting Britain’s interests. The first batch of documents relating to the appointment of the former prince as trade envoy in 2001 by Tony Blair have revealed a memo addressed to Robin Cook dated 25 February 2000, in which the …