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Andrew met model on taxpayer-funded China trip as 'fixer' sent photos to Epstein

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Andrew was pictured having dinner with a model during a taxpayer-funded trip to China
Andrew was pictured having dinner with a model during a taxpayer-funded trip to China. Picture: DoJ

By Rebecca Henrys

One of Andrew's aides sent photos of the former Prince with a model to Jeffrey Epstein, while the royal was on a taxpayer-funded trip to China.

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David Stern, Andrew’s fixer and aide, was in close contact with child sex offender Epstein, even going so far as to call him "boss".

He sent the paedophile a link to pictures of the Chinese actress Miya Muqi with Andrew and wrote: “We have dinner on Sunday in Beijing with this p.”

"P" is reportedly code for a derogatory term for young women.

Elsewhere in the files, Andrew can be seen sitting on a bamboo raft with a young woman, seemingly oblivious to the fact he is being photographed.

There is no suggestion that any of the women were victims of abuse by Epstein or Andrew.

Read more: Pressure mounts on police over Andrew’s trade envoy role and Epstein ties as top UK prosecutor insists 'nobody above law'

Read more: Liz Truss says Donald Trump 'right about everything' as they pose for picture

Andrew pictured on a raft with an unknown woman during the visit to China
Andrew pictured on a raft with an unknown woman during the visit to China. Picture: DoJ

Mr Stern's name appears 7,461 times in the Epstein files.

In an email sent in September 2011, Mr Stern discusses getting Epstein tickets for a "special Chinese catwalk" during London Fashion Week so he can "review Chinese P".

Epstein asks him whether there are any "candidates", to which Mr Stern says, "Not JE style yet".

Emails have revealed how Mr Stern, a close confidant of Epstein, accompanied Andrew on his publicly funded trip to Beijing in September 2010.

The visits are a key part of Thames Valley police’s scrutiny of Andrew’s time as UK special trade representative between 2001 and 2011. 

 The force is assessing claims that Andrew forwarded reports from his trips to southeast Asia and Afghanistan to Epstein and whether there are grounds for an investigation into allegations of a criminal offence of misconduct in public office.

Emails released as part of the so-called Epstein files earlier this month appear to show the former duke - who served as trade envoy between 2001 and 2011 - sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore with the paedophile financier.

Thames Valley Police on Wednesday said they have held discussions with specialists from the Crown Prosecution Service about the allegations that Andrew shared confidential reports.

The force said: "While we cannot provide timescales over when a decision as to whether a criminal investigation will be opened, we can assure you that Thames Valley Police is making progress as quickly as possible."

Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said they were leading the assessment of allegations relating to misconduct in public office, which specifically related to documents within the United States Department of Justice's Epstein files.

Labour MP Sarah Owen, who heads the Commons Women and Equalities Committee, this week said Andrew must answer to the police and Parliament over the allegations.

The King has made clear his "profound concern" over the allegations of misconduct against Andrew, with Buckingham Palace saying it will "stand ready to support" the police if approached.

Much of the work of the royal family in recent weeks has been overshadowed by the Epstein scandal, despite the King's attempts to draw a line under the matter when he banished Andrew and removed his titles.