Royal row as Cabinet Office accused of Andrew cover-up

The Cabinet Office has been accused of covering up for the royal family after it emerged that official papers referring to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had been withheld from the National Archives.

- MILLIE COOKE

The annual release of government papers to the archives in Kew, southwest London, under the 20-year rule includes a No 10 file from 2004 and 2005 about royal visits.

The version originally made available to journalists under embargo, so they could prepare stories in advance, included minutes of a meeting at which officials discussed the travel plans of various royals - including the Duke of York as he was then. However, the minutes were subsequently 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 spokesperson 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, chief executive of the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, said there was no justification for withholding the documents, especially since Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has been stripped of his royal status amid continuing controversy over his links with the paedophile financier Jeffrey 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. “The most likely reason for this attempt to stop disclosure is pressure from the palace. The royals have sought to keep everything under wraps when it comes to Andrew, not to protect him, but to protect themselves. “The royals are one of the most secretive institutions in the UK. These documents should be released without fear or favour, to allow the public to make informed judgements about the royals.”

Meanwhile, the Labour MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell, urged the government to provide clarity on why the files were not published. She told