Prince Andrew could flee to the Gulf in a last-ditch effort to gain legitimacy, it has been claimed.
The disgraced Duke of York is rumored to be eyeing a new life in the Middle East as he seeks sanctuary after years of crushing blows to his reputation and the embarrassment he brought to the royal family.
The latest scandal – his close association with an alleged Chinese spy – has raised new questions about his future after he was stripped of his royal and military titles over his links to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew has long-standing ties with the Gulf, where he is a regular visitor and where it is believed that despite his battered position, his royal status would still offer some attraction and opportunity.
Sources close to the United Arab Emirates government told the Sunday Times that a visit by his daughter Princess Beatrice to Abu Dhabi on business last month was partly “a cover for him”.
An informed figure in British politics told the newspaper: ‘He is considering moving there permanently.
“He’s desperately trying to get his hands on something he can make money with.”
The Gulf links are raising new questions about who is funding Andrew, with rumors swirling that it is Middle Eastern money keeping him afloat as he refuses to give up the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor Park, despite the efforts of his brother, the king.
King Charles (right) with Prince Andrew (right). The Duke of York is rumored to be considering a move to the Gulf after years of crushing blows to his reputation
Andrew (pictured driving in Windsor) has long-standing links with the Gulf, where he is a regular visitor and where it is believed his royal status would still offer some opportunities
Princess Beatrice shakes hands with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi on November 10. Sources say her visit to the city last month on business was partly a “cover for him.”
A knowledgeable figure said Andrew wanted to move to the UAE capital permanently (file photo)
Because he is now a fully private individual, the monarch and his advisers have no legal right to demand access to Andrew’s bank accounts.
They must rely on ‘verbal assurances’ that the Duke both has the money to pay for the upkeep of the Royal Lodge and that he has obtained these funds through legitimate means, a claim reportedly endorsed by the Keeper of the Privy Purse . .
Andrew has been a regular visitor to the Middle East over the years, including many trips to Bahrain, where he met King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s second son, Sheikh Abdullah.
During that 2014 visit, the former international trade envoy attended a Bahrain-British Business Forum dinner at the Radisson Diplomat Hotel. He met King Hamad and Crown Prince Salman at the event.
In April 2018, he visited the country again to open a British naval base and police training centre. He met again with King Hamad, as well as Bahrain’s Interior Minister.
He then returned the following March to visit the naval base with the King of Bahrain.
In May 2019, he flew to the country again to take his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson to the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Andrew stayed at the Ritz Carlton as a guest of the royal family during that visit, although it has long been rumored that he also enjoys a place of grace and favor somewhere in the country.
He was then expected to return to Bahrain in November 2019, but the trip was canceled as his public life collapsed following a disastrous interview in which he tried to justify his friendship with Epstein.
The duke went on a secret holiday to Bahrain in November 2022, apparently in preparation for an unofficial role as a go-between between the West and Gulf states amid the global energy crisis, sources said.
The speculation about his future comes as his ex-wife described how she was a “caregiver” who “takes care of a sad man” in Andrew.
Prince Andrew with alleged Chinese spy banned from Britain
Sarah Ferguson and the Duke of York at Royal Ascot in 2019. Prince Andrew’s ex-wife described herself as a ‘carer’ who ‘looks after a sad man’ in the Duke
The couple divorced in 1996 after ten years of marriage, but still live together at Royal Lodge.
Sarah compared their relationship to her childhood role caring for her late father, Major Ronald Ferguson, after her mother ran away.
She told the Sunday Times: ‘I became a carer for Dad.
“I had to take care of a sad man, and that’s kind of what I do now.
“That’s why Queen Elizabeth and I got along so well.”