Sir Keir Starmer faces fresh humiliation over his ill-fated appointment of Peter Mandelson as Washington ambassador after revelations emerged that King Charles expressed reservations about the controversial selection through two separate written interventions.
His Majesty is reported to have penned notes raising concerns when constitutionally obliged to officially approve Lord Mandelson’s December 2024 nomination as Britain’s top diplomat in the United States, according to Private Eye.
The first note, attached when the King received the Foreign Office’s formal appointment letter, allegedly posed a question along the lines of: “Do you really think that’s wise?” A second Buckingham Palace communication similarly conveyed royal reservations, whilst Charles raised the matter during his weekly audience with the Prime Minister.
The King was reportedly “surprised” that the “flattering” curriculum vitae accompanying the official request made no mention of Lord Mandelson’s two previous Cabinet resignations under Tony Blair or his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein—omissions that would prove prophetic when the peer was sacked in September 2025 following further Epstein revelations.
The disclosure raises questions about whether correspondence between monarch and ministers regarding the appointment will be released as part of the Prime Minister’s commitment to publish documentation connected to Lord Mandelson’s nomination.
An initial tranche of files was released last month, with additional papers due imminently though some material is expected to be withheld either due to ongoing police investigations, national security concerns, or potential diplomatic relation damage.
Lord Mandelson’s September dismissal marked his third removal from government positions, cementing his status as Labour’s most scandal-plagued figure. The New Labour architect now faces criminal investigation alongside Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, with both arrested last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office over their Epstein connections before being released under investigation.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed on Wednesday it is “providing early investigative advice” to police conducting inquiries into the pair’s links to the convicted sex offender.
Lord Mandelson has vowed to cooperate with investigators “to clear his name,” denying that American document releases demonstrate lawbreaking or personal gain whilst repeatedly expressing regret over his Epstein friendship. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor similarly denies wrongdoing regarding his connections to the disgraced financier.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the reported royal interventions, consistent with standard practice of not discussing private communications between sovereign and prime minister.
The revelations compound pressure on Sir Keir over his judgement in appointing Lord Mandelson despite the peer’s controversial history, with opposition figures questioning why warning signs—apparently visible even to the monarch—were ignored.
The constitutional delicacy of the situation creates particular awkwardness, given the King’s limited scope for rejecting ministerial recommendations whilst the carefully-phrased notes suggest he sought to discharge his duty of advising government without overstepping constitutional boundaries.
