Former ambassador calls for Prince Andrew to be sacked

Britain's Prince Andrew should be sacked as trade envoy, according to a former British ambassador.

Former head of the Foreign Office's Middle East section Stephen Day claims the Duke of York is doing serious damage to the royal family and to Britain and should be removed from his role on behalf of the government body, UK Trade & Investment due to his friendship with disgraced businessman Jeffrey Epstein and alleged links to Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi.

In a letter to the government obtained by the Daily Telegraph, he wrote: "It takes a lot to bring former British Ambassadors to criticise a member of the royal family in public but it is surely now recognised that the Duke's activities are doing such serious damage to the royal family itself and to Britain's political, diplomatic and commercial interests that an entirely new role should be found for him as soon as possible."

Mr. Day also attacked the prince for his dealings in Tunisia, calling into question his dealings with senior members of the regime - which was overturned in January.

He added: "The Duke's activities in Tunisia were the source of rumour and speculation in Tunisian business circles for several years and I was often asked what he was up to and in what way he was promoting trade with Britain."