THE Cabinet Office has been accused of covering up for the royal family after it emerged that official papers which refer to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have been withheld from the National Archives.

The annual release of government papers to the archives in Kew, west London, under the 20-year rule includes a No 10 file from 2004 and 2005 on royal visits.

The version originally made available to journalists under embargo included minutes of a meeting where officials discussed the travel plans of various royals – including the then Duke of York.

However the minutes were subsequently redacted from the file before it was made available to the public.

The Cabinet Office, which is responsible for transferring the files to the National Archives, blamed an “administrative error” as they had never been intended for release.

Andrew has been stripped of his royal status amid continuing controversy over his links with the paedophile financier Jeffery Epstein. He has always denied any wrongdoing.

Graham Smith, chief executive of anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, said the royal exemption should not even exist.

“The most likely reason for this attempt to stop disclosure is pressure from the palace,” he said.

“The royals have sought to keep everything under wraps when it comes to Andrew, not to protect him but to protect themselves.”