According to the emails, on 7 October 2010 Mountbatten-Windsor shared details of upcoming official trips to Singapore, Vietnam, Shenzhen in China and Hong Kong. Reports suggest business associates linked to Epstein were present during parts of these visits.
On 30 November the same year, he appears to have forwarded official reports of those trips to Epstein shortly after receiving them from his then special assistant, Amit Patel.
In a 2019 television interview, Mountbatten-Windsor said he last met Epstein in New York in early December 2010 to end their friendship. However, further emails indicate that on Christmas Eve that year he sent Epstein a confidential briefing about investment opportunities linked to the reconstruction of Helmand Province in Afghanistan, which at the time involved British forces and UK government funding.
Another email dated 9 February 2011 suggested Epstein might consider investing in a private equity firm he had recently visited.
Reaction from former government figures
Sir Vince Cable, who was business secretary during that period, said he had not previously been aware of any sharing of information about investment opportunities in Afghanistan. He said the reports were new to him.
The official terms of reference for trade envoys state that while they are not civil servants, they must still protect sensitive information gathered during official visits. This duty continues even after they leave the position.