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Buckingham Palace says trip ‘postponed’ because of safety concerns rather than cancelled in light of revelations Prince Andrew has pulled out of a proposed trip to Saudi Arabia after almost three weeks of damaging revelations about his personal integrity and links with corrupt and repressive regimes. The Duke of York was due to travel next week to boost defence contracts in his role as Britain’s trade envoy. Buckingham Palace denied the trip was cancelled in light of the allegations, saying simply that the trip had been “postponed” because of safety concerns. “The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK Trade and Investment and the palace have agreed to postpone the visit given the current circumstances in the region,” the palace said. “Any suggestion that this had anything to do with recent UK media coverage is absolutely not the case.” The Queen is reported to have held private talks with Andrew on Tuesday over the mounting scandal. The Duke, who is fourth in line to the throne, has been plagued by revelations about his close friendship with convicted sex offender and billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. This week former ambassador Stephen Day called on the duke to step down from his role, condemning him as the “worst person” to deploy in the Middle East where his presence is seen as “crass”. A member of the Foreign Office’s advisory group on ethical foreign policy and UK director of Human Rights Watch, Tom Porteous, suggested that Andrew should take a “crash course in corporate responsibility” and human rights awareness. Last month David Cameron was criticised for taking eight arms dealers on a visit to the Middle East at the same time that corrupt autocratic regimes in the region were using force to put down democratic uprisings. The duke’s connections to Colonel Gaddafi and his family, the president of Azerbaijan and arms smuggler Tarek Kaituni have also drawn public criticism from human rights organisations and MPs. Prince Andrew Saudi Arabia Middle East Monarchy Rowenna Davis guardian.co.uk