Two weeks after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s disastrous interview aired onNewsnight, the trustees of a charity founded by his father met in Windsor Castle.
St George’s House Trust, set up by Prince Philip in 1966 to “nurture wisdom through dialogue”, is run by some of the most upstanding figures in public life, with trustees including senior clergy, charity executives and former military commanders.
But on that day in November 2019, trustees — at the behest of Andrew — unanimously approved a man with little public profile and a wafer-thin CV to its board for a second term.
He wasDavid Stern, the fixer for Jeffrey Epstein who acted as an intermediary between the paedophile financier and Andrew, and was friends with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
Stern, a 48-year-old German citizen, referred to Epstein as his “general” and had asked him to be godfather to one of his children (Epstein declined). When Epstein attempted to rehabilitate his image on Wall Street after being convicted for soliciting prostitution from a minor, Stern, who speaks Mandarin, helped him build business contacts in China and Europe. He also visited Epstein in New York months before his arrest and death in 2019.
At the same time, Stern was director of Andrew’s Pitch@Palace scheme, a networking initiative with its registered office in Buckingham Palace. Stern appeared to be a go-between, passing messages and directing Andrew on Epstein’s command.
Now, as the royal family, businesses and governments reassess appointments marred by the release of the Epstein files, The Sunday Times has discovered that Prince Philip’s charity failed to check the background of the entrepreneur who became Epstein’s man in the Palace.
It can be revealed that concerns were raised with the Palace about Stern as early as 2016, when he was first appointed, and again in 2019 after theNewsnightinterview.
Concerns about Stern’s appointment were raised directly in 2016 with the late Queen’s private secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt, and three years later with Princess Anne’s private secretary.
St George’s House was also warned twice about his unsuitability, yet Stern remained on the board until the end of his second term in 2022. There is no suggestion that other trustees knew of his close relationship with Epstein.
The Charity Commission is considering an investigation into the charity over Stern’s appointment. St George’s House has appointed the law firm Fieldfisher to review his time as a trustee.
The Palace said it could not comment in light of “active police inquiries and assessments ongoing into matters related to Mr Epstein and his connections with Andrew Mountbatten Windsor”.
The warden of St George’s House, Canon Hueston Finlay, is understood to have admitted that there was little information available about Stern, but that he was “known to the Queen and Duke of York”.
Finlay was appointed the dean of King’s College chapel, Cambridge, in July last year.
Andrew wasarrested in Februaryon suspicion of misconduct in public office. Thames Valley police are assessing claims he sent reports of his trips to southeast Asia to Epstein. There is evidence that Stern joined Andrew on one of these taxpayer-funded trips. Andrew has previously denied allegations against him.
