BANGKOK, THAILAND – A former senior British diplomat has alleged that Prince Andrew used official trade missions to Thailand to arrange private meetings with women and that some of those trips were paid for by UK taxpayers.
Royal duties and private excursions
Ian Proud, a former senior member of the British embassy in Bangkok, told reporters the prince routinely combined official engagements with private social outings during visits to Thailand when he served as the United Kingdom’s trade envoy. “The prince came for official duties, such as royal events or support after the tsunami, but he also took private excursions, often to meet women. That was well known among embassy staff,” Proud said.
Proud said embassy teams acknowledged the dual nature of the visits: a mix of formal responsibilities and personal leisure. He added that, in his view, Andrew carried out his trade-diplomatic duties “very well,” but when not working “he amused himself in more exotic ways.”
Nightlife and luxury accommodation
Proud described the prince’s apparent preferences in Bangkok, saying he favoured a hotel that had a nightclub in its basement and often chose to stay off the official embassy premises. “There were always Thai ‘high society’ women present. He had plenty of choice,” Proud said.
Biographer Andrew Lownie previously claimed that during one trade mission as many as 40 escorts were “brought to him.” Proud did not fully dispute Lownie’s account, commenting, “Whether they were escorts or high-society women hoping for an embrace, who knows? But the fascination was real.”
Official resources used for private travel
Proud alleged that on one occasion the prince took a Thai companion on a private trip to Chiang Mai using an official car and staying in a hotel while the visit was declared a trade mission. He also pointed to documentary evidence of costly travel: a 13-day Southeast Asia tour in 2010 had cost more than £46,000, including about £37,000 on hotels, despite the embassy having an available residence.
Photographs from 2001 were cited showing Prince Andrew on a yacht in Phuket surrounded by topless women, and Proud said the prince had also been seen in bars with semi-naked dancers. “He enjoyed Thailand’s nightlife to the full,” Proud said.
A continuing controversy
Prince Andrew lost official royal duties and military titles in the wake of his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegations from Virginia Giuffre. He has repeatedly denied all allegations against him.
The new recollections by a former embassy official have renewed scrutiny over how public funds were used to support royal visits and private activities. The claims were originally reported by The Thaiger and recounted by Proud in interviews reflecting on his time at the Bangkok mission.