By John Donovan

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DISCLAIMER

This article is opinion and commentary only. It is not financial or legal advice. All allegations referenced regarding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor relate to publicly reported matters as of February 2026. Shell plc is not accused here of criminal wrongdoing in relation to Andrew. Readers should consult primary sources and conduct their own research.

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In May 2005, Prince Andrew — now Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — was ushered through Shell’s Simulation Centre in Abu Dhabi. Cameras flashed. Executives beamed. The Duke of York’s office proudly highlighted his role in promoting British commercial interests abroad. Shell, like other UK multinationals, benefited from proximity to royal soft power.

At the time, this was considered smart diplomacy.

In 2026, it looks more like reputational roulette.

Andrew now faces legal scrutiny following his February 2026 arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The allegations relate to his years as the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment (2001–2011), specifically claims that confidential government briefings may have been shared with personal associates, including Jeffrey Epstein.

The investigation is ongoing. Andrew denies wrongdoing.

But hindsight is merciless.

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The Trade Envoy Years: Access Was the Currency

As trade envoy, Andrew’s role was to promote British business overseas. That meant oil majors. Defence contractors. Aerospace giants. Energy conglomerates.

Shell plc — then Royal Dutch Shell — was among the beneficiaries of this royal access diplomacy. Andrew attended Shell-linked receptions in Qatar and the UAE, appeared at Gulf energy events, and lent ceremonial gravitas to corporate networking exercises in strategically crucial fossil-fuel markets.

His official website at the time carried testimonials from companies praising his effectiveness in facilitating introductions and strengthening international ties.

It was access capitalism in ermine.

For Shell, operating in politically sensitive regions where relationships are currency, having a royal trade envoy smooth the runway was commercially useful. It sent signals. It opened doors.

But access cuts both ways.

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Warning Signals Were Not Exactly Subtle

Even during his envoy years, Andrew’s judgment was under scrutiny. Media outlets mocked “Air Miles Andy” for the scale and cost of his travel. Questions circulated about who he met, why he met them, and what oversight mechanisms were in place.

None of this was secret.

And yet the corporate embrace continued.

There is no evidence Shell paid Andrew, bribed him, or colluded in misconduct. That must be stated clearly.

But corporations are not judged solely by legality. They are judged by judgment.

And this is where the optics curdle.

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The Reserves Scandal: Glass Houses and Oil Barrels

Consider the timing.

When Andrew was touring Gulf boardrooms and shaking hands beside Shell executives, the company was emerging from one of the most damaging crises in its history.

In 2004, Shell admitted it had overstated its proven oil and gas reserves by billions of barrels. The scandal led to:

• The ousting of senior executives, including Chairman Sir Philip Watts

• Hundreds of millions of dollars in fines from US and UK regulators

• A collapse in investor confidence

• Lasting damage to the company’s governance credibility

Shell spent years rebuilding trust.

And into that delicate rehabilitation phase walked a royal envoy whose appetite for controversial associations would later detonate into global scandal.

If you were writing a corporate governance case study titled “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?” — this would be Chapter One.

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Fossil Fuels, Fragile Reputations

Shell today presents itself as a disciplined energy major balancing shareholder returns with transition strategy. Major institutional investors — including BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street — remain among its largest shareholders, demanding governance stability and reputational discipline.

In 2026, ESG scrutiny is relentless. Climate litigation is proliferating. Activists are no longer fringe irritants but courtroom adversaries.

Against that backdrop, past associations matter.

Shell has faced decades of criticism over environmental damage, from Nigeria’s Niger Delta to climate accountability litigation in European courts. It has fought legal battles, restructured governance, rebranded its corporate identity and relocated headquarters.

And yet the Andrew episode serves as a reminder: reputational risk is rarely about one handshake. It’s about patterns of judgment.

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So Who Misjudged Whom?

Here is the uncomfortable question neither side can fully escape.

Did Shell fail to see that tying its brand — however indirectly — to a roaming royal with mounting controversy carried obvious downside?

Or was Andrew’s judgment catastrophically flawed in aligning himself so enthusiastically with a heavily polluting oil giant that was, at that very moment, clawing its way out of a self-inflicted financial scandal?

Because let’s be blunt.

When you are already rebuilding credibility after overstating billions of barrels of reserves, perhaps adding a high-maintenance royal with questionable instincts to the optics portfolio is not the masterstroke it appears over champagne in Abu Dhabi.

What looked like soft power in 2005 looks like combustible liability in 2026.

Reputations are leveraged assets. And leverage cuts both ways.

When the smoke clears, the question isn’t whether laws were broken — that is for investigators.

The question is simpler, sharper, and more corrosive:

Was this a failure of due diligence, a failure of character, or a mutually convenient alliance of convenience between a scandal-scarred oil giant and a royal envoy whose judgment now sits under criminal investigation?

Either way, it was not wisdom.

It was hubris dressed as diplomacy.

And hubris, like oil, eventually surfaces.

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