Prince still acts as UK trade envoy

British monarchy once again came under pressure after it was revealed that Prince Andrew has met several foreign heads of state and senior ministers for holding talks on trade since he quit last July as UK Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.

Opposition Labor party has urged the coalition government to “come clean” over the continuing role of the Duke of York in the Middle East, where he has been accused of having close links with wealthy sheikhs, dictators and notorious businessmen.

The Prince, who was nicknamed as Airmiles Andy, gave up his role following embarrassing revelations about his relationship with a number of indecent friends, including the American billionaire and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The prince has also been under fire from the critics and media over his friendships with politicians and billionaires in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, Libya and Turkmenistan.

But since giving up his position, he has attended 17 engagements in Saudi Arabia and China for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

It was also revealed that he had meetings with the Emir of Qatar, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the prime minister of Malaysia and the presidents of Panama and Mongolia.

Last month, he visited the King of Bahrain, while the kingdom has been regarded as one of the bloodiest regimes in the Arab region.

Labor MP Chris Bryant stressed that the Tory-led government should reveal the secrecy of Prince's visits to the autocrat regimes. “If he is going to shake hands with the king of Bahrain, we need to know what is going on. People will continue to ask whose interests he is really representing,” he added.

A Whitehall source said that Andrew's continued position revealed Britain's need for his influence in the region. "It is absolutely true that the duke has access at the highest levels which he uses to assist trade objectives and UK companies. He is particularly valuable in some parts of the world where continuity is valued over continually changing personnel," the source added.

His role was defended by Buckingham Palace, saying, “As the Prime Minister said at the time of the announcement, the Duke will continue to support and promote British business interests both at home and overseas.”