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Civil servants who worked with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor back in the early 2000s are now claiming the former prince charged massages to taxpayers amid lavish spending sprees while working as the U.K.’s trade envoy.
“I thought it was wrong… I’d said we mustn’t pay it, but we ended up paying it anyway,” a civil servant, who worked for the trade department, told the BBC.
The person, who chose to speak anonymously, claimed he had refused to pay the bill for the “massage services” but was overruled by senior staff members.
Former Prince Andrew allegedly used taxpayer money to pay for “massage services” during trips as the U.K. trade envoy. (Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
The former civil servant said he regretted that Andrew was allowed to use taxpayer money to fund his massage habit.
“I can’t say it would have stopped him, but we should have flagged that something was wrong,” the now-retired civil servant said.
Another source — who worked as a senior Whitehall official — also claimed he witnessed lavish spending by Andrew. According to the civil servant, Andrew would spend lavishly on excessive flights, unreasonable numbers of hotel rooms and more to accommodate his entourage. “I couldn’t believe it… it was like it wasn’t real money, they weren’t spending any of their own money,” he told the outlet.
The civil servant said there was no proper recording of the spending and called out senior officials for turning a blind eye. He explained Andrew’s checks were not scrutinized but rather given a “rubber stamp.”
Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for Andrew and the Department for Business and Trade for comment.
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Former Prince Andrew was released from custody hours after his arrest on Feb. 19. (Reuters)
Authorities arrested Andrew on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Feb. 19. The former prince spent roughly 10 hours in custody before being released.
Andrew was photographed in the back seat of a car as he arrived home to Wood Farm, where he has been temporarily staying after being kicked out of the Royal Lodge.
Former Prince Andrew has been accused of sharing confidential trade information with Jeffrey Epstein. Emails released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the Epstein files appeared to show Andrew sharing reports of official trade visits with the disgraced financier.
Prince Andrew has been accused of sharing confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a trade envoy for the U.K. (Steve Parsons/Getty Images)
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Jeffrey Epstein died by apparent suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. (Rick Friedman/Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via Getty Images)
Emails released as part of the Epstein files appeared to show Andrew sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.
One email, dated November 2010, appeared to be forwarded by Andrew five minutes after he had received it. In another, on Christmas Eve 2010, he appeared to send Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Other police forces in the U.K. are also conducting their own investigations into Andrew’s ties to Epstein. The Metropolitan Police is investigating allegations that London airports may have been used to facilitate human trafficking and sexual exploitation, Fox News Digital confirmed Friday.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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