The 66 year old has since been released under investigation but, with the region being bombarded daily by bombs and missiles, any residual aspirations of re-establishing himself amongst the Arab elite seem thwarted. Now, it is believed that Donald Trump is gearing up for his “big one” offensive against Iran as the conflict there persists, The Mirror reports.

Andrew’s former wife Sarah Ferguson also has connections in the Middle East and she, along with Andrew, left the Royal Lodge last year. A source stated: “There is no way any of them are going to go to the Gulf and Middle East region for a long time to come. It is far too dangerous for them, just as it is for everybody else.”

It’s a further setback for father-of-two Andrew, who it emerged this week believes it is “deeply unfair that people have turned on him” amid the Jeffrey Epstein files scandal. The former duke, who served as a helicopter pilot with the Royal Navy vehemently denies any wrongdoing.

A British diplomatic source who previously socialised with the Yorks in the Gulf, told the Daily Mail: “It’s inconceivable that they’ll be visiting the region now, certainly not while the war is going on and it could, of course, be an indefinite war.”

Andrew had long recognised that the Middle East – with its billionaire sheiks and emirs – could prove a profitable source of wealth, both for himself and for those within his circle.

His connections to Abu Dhabi’s royal family stretch back to his time at Gordonstoun, the Scottish public school, where he befriended Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, now the president of the UAE and known to Andrew as MBZ. His family ranks among the wealthiest in the world, with an estimated fortune of £225 billion.

They also possess an extensive property portfolio in London and own a majority stake in Manchester City Football Club.

Andrew’s associations proved particularly beneficial in 2001 when, after retiring from the Royal Navy, he was appointed the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment – a role critics claim he subsequently used to benefit himself financially. Andrew denies any wrongdoing.