Prince Andrew’s ‘disgraceful’ ties with Bahrain’s Royal Family slammed as he enjoys luxury visit

Prince Andrew, who has longstanding links with the Bahraini Royal Family, has been slammed by a pro-democracy group for visiting the country.

Friendship through thick and thin

Prince Andrew has taken his first trip outside of the UK since his relationship with accused paedophile Jeffery Epstein came to light. His choice of destination has left many people questioning the Prince’s motives.

The disgraced Prince reportedly flew to Bahrain on a VistaJet plane, a private jet charter company owned by Swiss billionaire Thomas Flohr.

There is speculation that Prince Andrew’s holiday bill is being paid in full by his friends in the Bahraini Royal Family, notably Crown Prince Salman. According to reports, the Duke of York is staying at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manama, where it costs £8,600 per night, and one’s coffee is served in 24-carat gold cups.

The Sun reports that the Duke of York enjoys a close relationship with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, with whom he has been seen many times before being stripped of his royal duties. Prince Andrew also enjoys a friendship with the King’s first and second sons, Crown Prince Salman and Sheikh Abdullah.

An insider claimed:

Prince Andrew no longer has a wide circle of friends, but Royal Families do have a habit of sticking together. He’s been close to the Bahraini Royal Family for many years and has always enjoyed his trips to Bahrain.

The secrecy surrounding the visit

The latest tirade of criticism against Prince Andrew comes after the Duke was seen at a shooting party on Windsor Estate with Princess Anne and Prince Edward shortly before the King’s birthday.

Because Prince Andrew is no longer listed as a working Royal, the reason for his visit to Bahrain was not recorded on the Court Circular. Some see this trip as the first step towards Prince Andrew’s return to public life.

There is speculation that the disgraced Prince is angling for a role as a middleman ‘between the West and the oil-rich Gulf states’. A source told The Sun that the Duke of York ‘fancies his chances’ of becoming a government special representative for international trade and investment. The disgraced Duke quit his trade role following his infamous Newsnight interview.

Others, however, believe that Prince Andrew may just be on holiday in Bahrain as a ‘privately funded’ guest of honour of the kingdom’s ruling family.

A ‘toxic and shameful’ relationship

Political activist Sayed Ahmed Al Wadaei of the Bahrain Institute for Rights & Democracy slammed Prince Andrew’s links to the Bahraini Royal Family.

He believes that the Duke’s relationship with Bahraini Royal Family is ‘toxic and shameful’, as reported by Mail Online. He said:

For several years, he (Prince Andrew) visited the country and met with Bahrain’s police force, despite their record of violence, extreme interrogation tactics, and use of torture

The activist points out that Prince Andrew has visited Bahraini Royal Family members over the years at rather dubious times. For example, as a working royal, the Duke of York was pictured laughing with King Hamad shortly after the King ratified the execution of three political prisoners who confessed under torture.

Prince Andrew visited Crown Prince Salman’s London home shortly after pro-democracy protesters died in a ‘security blitz’.

According to The Sun, the Duke of York shares a close relationship with Sheikh Abdullah, who apparently paid Michael Jackson millions of dollars to live in Bahrain for 11 months after he was acquitted of child molestation charges.

Mr Al Wadaei claims that when Prince Andrew’s relationship with Jeffery Epstein came to light, the disgraced Duke was considering fleeing to Bahrain to ‘hide from public embarrassment’. He said of Prince Andrew’s actions:

This reflects how deep his disgraceful relationship is with Bahrain’s corrupt dictatorship

Sources used:

- The Sun: ANDY'S SECRET TRIP Prince Andrew secretly visits Bahrain ‘as he targets role as middleman between West and oil-rich Gulf states’

- The News International: Prince Andrew slammed over his 'toxic' ties to Bahrain royal family

- Mail Online: Prince Andrew secretly visited Bahrain last week as personal guest of their royal family: Duke flew on Swiss billionaire's private jet and stayed at £8,600 hotel amid claims he is eyeing return to public life as trade envoy