Mandelson, Andrew, Epstein and China…An Update

Posted: February 19th, 2026 | No Comments »

Those of you who have read Andrew Lownie’s biography of (former Prince) Andrew, Entitled (William Collins), will know that there is a lengthy section on Andrew’s repeated lobbying in China for F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone supporting his bid to sell Shanghai a GP (which he indeed eventually did). It’s an interesting and somewhat sordid tale (in which i’m quoted a few times) recalling Andrew’s frequent and often last minute visits to Shanghai funded by the UK tax payer as a “Trade Envoy”(*). However, apparently these 5-star visits only ever seemed to relate to Ecclestone’s business interests.

Now there’s a few updates following the release of more Epstein Files….

1) The former Trade Secretary (and incidentally very pro-China) Vince Cable has said Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s time as a trade envoy should be investigated for possible corruption.

2) It appears the now disgraced Peter Mandelson, through his firm Global Counsel, also previously supported efforts by Prince Andrew to target Chinese business deals for Ecclestone’s F1 and the proposed Shanghai Grand Prix.

3) Mandelson has been a speaker at the Party School (perhaps as many as three times – he is somewhat opaque on this) and was, at the same time of Andrew’s efforts in China on behalf of Ecclestone, himself pursuing (with his business partner Benjamin Wegg-Prosser) a contract between Global Counsel and then state-backed China International Capital Corporation.

4) Even after all these shenanigans with Andrew, F1 and CICC Mandelson worked closely with the 48 Group (though his and other Labour Grandee connections – Blair, Jack Straw etc – appear to gave disappeared from their website as “fellows”).

5) In 2015, despite his highly chequered past in government, lobbying, and at the EU (all ending in ignominy), amazingly Mandelson was appointed President of the Great Britain China Centre (partly funded by the UK Foreign Office, and hence the taxpayer) who proudly announced him as “former First Secretary of State and former EU Trade Commissioner” even though he had been forced to resign from both these posts!!!

To sum up it is now clear that Epstein saw Mandelson and Global Counsel as his conduit to China and Andrew as a lobbying force in the PRC, all paid for by the Uk taxpayer.

*= On 12 October 2023 at Southwark Crown Court, Ecclestone pleaded guilty to fraud, after agreeing to pay nearly £653m in back tax and fines. He was sentenced to 17 months in prison, suspended for two years.

And a few final points:

Stripped of all titles and military rank the former Prince Andrew, Duke of York is now simply Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Recently the Head of the Crown Prosecution Service said he was confident the police will examine any evidence of potential misconduct.

Mandelson was fired from his post as ambassador to the USA by PM Keir Starmer. He has resigned from the House of Lords. The Metropolitan Police are currently investigating him.

Finally, It’s also worth noting that in 2021, while still President of the Great Britain China Centre he was the only Labour peer to vote against an amendment criticising human rights abuses in Xinjiang. He ceased to be president of the Great Britain China Centre in 2023, two years later!!

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