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This claim was made by former journalist Max Hastings, who criticised the Duke of York for his “reckless actions”. He said: “For years, his antics have provoked dismay and rising public anger. “Advancing age, far from granting wisdom, has made him ever more reckless in his choice of hosts and associates.” Mr Hastings also described Prince Andrew’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein as a “stinker too far” in the 2011 Daily Mail column. Andrew’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein – who was due to stand trial for sex trafficking last year before he killed himself in prison – has led to tense discussions in the Royal Family.

The Duke has also been accused of having sex with alleged trafficking victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre on three separate occasions.

Buckingham Palace and Prince Andrew have vehemently denied these allegations, and said they are “false and without foundation”.

But this didn’t prevent Andrew from stepping back from royal duties after a disastrous interview with BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis last year.

In the interview, he said he would assist with investigations into Epstein and his former partner Ghislaine Maxwell, who has also been arrested on charges of sex trafficking.

Mr Hastings also criticised Prince Andrew’s alleged poor conduct while in the role of trade envoy, claiming that former Home Secretary Willie Whitelaw described him as the “most ill-mannered young man he had ever met”.

Mr Hastings continued: “Willie, an uncommonly good-natured fellow, recounted an exchange with the Prince at a golf club: ‘He talked to me as if I was his blasted caddy!’ said the outraged statesman.”

The Duke of York served as the UK’s special representative for trade and investment for 10 years – a spell that ended in July 2011 as his suitability for the job came under question amid the Epstein furore.

He also came under fire for his style of diplomacy in the role, which he held for 10 years.

This was apparent in 2010 after a US Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan hit out at the prominent royal’s conduct while meeting in the country’s capital of Bishkek.

The two-hour engagement, which happened in 2008, reportedly saw Andrew attack Britain’s corruption investigators in the Serious Fraud Office for what he called “idiocy”.

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He is also said to have launched a tirade against journalists and the French during an “astonishingly candid” performance at an official engagement that shocked a US diplomat.

Tatiana Gfoeller, Washington’s ambassador to Kyrgyzstan at the time, recorded in a secret cable that Andrew spoke “cockily” at the brunch with British and Canadian business people, leading a discussion that “verged on the rude”.

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