The Cabinet Office has blamed an “administrative error” for mistakenly sharing official papers referring to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.A No 10 file from 2004 and 2005 relating to royal visits – released as part of the government’s annual transfer of records to the National Archives under the 20-year rule – was briefly made available to journalists before being withdrawn.The version originally released under embargo included minutes of a meeting about the overseas travel of various royals, including the then-Duke of York, who was serving as a UK trade envoy.That information was later redacted from the file before it was made public on Tuesday at the National Archives in Kew, west London.The Cabinet Office, which is responsible for transferring the files to the National Archives, said the documents were never intended for public disclosure.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.”Anti-monarchy campaigners said there was no justification for withholding the papers, particularly given Andrew has since been stripped of royal titles over his links to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew has always denied any claims of wrongdoing. Graham Smith, chief executive of campaign group Republic, said: “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.”The minutes themselves, seen by journalists before being pulled, appeare …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnThe Cabinet Office has blamed an “administrative error” for mistakenly sharing official papers referring to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.A No 10 file from 2004 and 2005 relating to royal visits – released as part of the government’s annual transfer of records to the National Archives under the 20-year rule – was briefly made available to journalists before being withdrawn.The version originally released under embargo included minutes of a meeting about the overseas travel of various royals, including the then-Duke of York, who was serving as a UK trade envoy.That information was later redacted from the file before it was made public on Tuesday at the National Archives in Kew, west London.The Cabinet Office, which is responsible for transferring the files to the National Archives, said the documents were never intended for public disclosure.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.”Anti-monarchy campaigners said there was no justification for withholding the papers, particularly given Andrew has since been stripped of royal titles over his links to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew has always denied any claims of wrongdoing. Graham Smith, chief executive of campaign group Republic, said: “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.”The minutes themselves, seen by journalists before being pulled, appeare …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
