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Prince Andrew brokered a £385million deal for a foreign consortium in corrupt Kazakhstan, it is claimed.

The Queen’s son was allegedly in line for £4million in commission from the deal in the oil-rich country while acting as special trade envoy for Britain.

He used his position as a royal to facilitate the venture on behalf of Greek and Swiss clients, it is reported.

Former Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker said: "Prince Andrew’s continuing close relationship with questionable figures in Kazakhstan brings the royal family into disrepute.

"There are also serious questions about a conflict of interest in his former role as trade envoy which on the face of it seems to be more about enriching himself than helping the UK."

The new revelations allegedly provide an insight into how the Prince may have funded his jetset lifestyle with no obvious source of income apart from a small Navy pension and an allowance from the Queen.

Leaked emails appear to show that in April 2011 he used his relationship with the Kazakh oligarch Kenges Rakishev to quietly help a Greek utility firm and a Swiss finance house bid for infrastructure contracts.

The Duke of York called then emailed Mr Rakishev asking for assistance for the two firms, Aras Capital, from Zurich, and EYDAP, Greece’s largest water firm.

The companies wanted to build water and sewage networks in two of Kazakhstan’s largest cities and had enlisted Prince Andrew’s help.

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Mr Rakishev quickly arranged meetings in Kazakhstan for the boss of EYDAP and its Swiss financiers with the mayors of Astana and Almaty along with representatives of local water authorities.

For his trouble, Prince Andrew was to be offered a commission fee of 1 per cent or around £3.83 million, a source of the water firm has revealed.

In the event, the deal collapsed when in late 2011, Kazakh police opened fire on a group of striking oil workers in the city of Zhanaozen, killing 14.

Fearing they would be caught up in the turmoil, EYDAP pulled out.

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(Image: Huddersfield Examiner)

The Prince’s spokesman David Pogson initially denied the Prince had done any work for the Swiss and Greek firms when he was first interviewed by a newspaper.

However, a newspaper provided the palace with emails Andrew had personally sent to Mr Rakishev on behalf of both EYDAP and Aras on April 14, 2011.

The Palace then suggested the emails were a forgery then tried to halt publication of the story on privacy grounds.

In 2007 Mr Rakishev brokered the mysterious sale of Prince Andrew’s former marital home in Berkshire.

After languishing unsold for five years, the property was bought for £15 million - £3 million over the asking price - by an oligarch called Timur Kulibayev, the son-in-law of Kazakhstan’s president Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Prince Andrew became UK special representative for international trade and investment in October 2001.

He announced he was stepping down from the position in July 2011 following criticism of his friendship with controversial figures including convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.