At a glance
• Some royal commentators reckon Prince Andrew may relocate to Abu Dhabi after losing his titles and being forced out of the Royal Lodge.
• Royal experts suggest Andrew would be able to maintain a semblance of royal treatment in a region where the press is tightly controlled.
• The disgraced royal faces increasing isolation as King Charles moves to strip his brother of his remaining titles.
The former Prince Andrew may end up making a move to the Middle East after being stripped of his titles and booted out of the Royal Lodge, according to a royal expert.
According to historian Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York: “He would be happy living somewhere where the media is muzzled, where he will still be treated as a senior royal and where he can easily live under the radar.
“His personal relationships with young women are not likely to be scrutinised in Abu Dhabi.”
Another expert on the disgraced Royal, Royal biographer Andrew Morton told Times Radio: “I would predict that, if we’re speaking about this time next year, Andrew will probably live somewhere abroad.”
If he does choose this path away from the media scrutiny could be Abu Dhabi, with the help of friend Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Andrew and the Crown Prince have had a long-standing friendship spanning decades, cemented by Andrew’s work in the Emirates as a trade envoy in the early 2000s.
The Sun reported that the nation’s billionaire leader has even offered Andrew has even been offered a 16,000sq ft palace to hide away in, replete with a gym, pool, cinema and a kitchen run by leading chefs 24/7.
The mega mansion sits inside a guarded compound surrounded by a 30ft hedge, where the former working royal would live alongside other ministers and sheikhs and ministers.
According to a worker at one of the palaces: “The whole area is private and very secure. The public are not allowed in and there are cameras which log every vehicle which approaches.
“The area is effectively under the radar. “We have not heard anything official yet about Andrew moving in but he would enjoy it here because it is very private.”
Even Andrew’s daughter, Princess Beatrice was spotted at a financial summit in Saudi recently, emblematic of the family’s long-term links to the Middle East.
The family is also known to also enjoy the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Beatrice even appeared in a promotional photo for a bank in the UAE whilst media attention worsened around her father in recent weeks.
A source confirmed: “Abu Dhabi’s royal family have made it clear to Andrew that the palace is his if he wants it. It gives him an option should his position in the UK become untenable.
“He has come under enormous pressure following recent developments and the King and Prince William are nearing the point where they’ve had enough.”
“Andrew would be afforded every luxury if he makes the move to the UAE but the climate will take him, and Fergie, some time to get used to. Temperatures often top 50C in the summer, meaning he would have to spend much of his time with air conditioning indoors.’
In accepting the lavish offer, Andrew would be aligning himself with another shunned royal living in exile in Abu Dhabi – Spain’s former King Juan Carlos whose career was also muddied by a series of sex scandals.
It has been reported that King Charles is currently sending royal warrants to David Lammy, the Lord Chancellor, to strip his brother of his titles and honours.
This move relegates Andrew to the status of a commoner – no doubt worsened by new pressures on the authorities to investigate him.
The former prince denies sexually assaulting the late Virginia Giuffre, who alleged this happened on three occasions, including when she was 17, after being trafficked by Epstein.
