The duke and the despot: Prince Andrew`s `close friendship` with brutal billionaire dictator accused of torture

Prince Andrew has developed a "close friendship" with the dictatorial leader of a former Soviet republic who has been accused of torturing protesters, it emerged yesterday.

During eight visits in five years, the Duke of York has forged strong links with Azerbaijan"s president Ilham Aliyev - whose regime is said to have rigged elections and thrown political opponents in jail.

Andrew"s most recent visit to the oil-rich country, where he is routinely described as "the dear guest", was in November last year, only weeks after blistering international criticisms over the conduct of parliamentary elections.

On Monday, Amnesty International insisted the Aliyev regime must stop torturing activists demanding reform.

Controversy about the prince"s trade links, friendships and business dealings intensified last night as it emerged that:

■ Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were introduced to Andrew's friend and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein on a holiday in the Bahamas in 1998;

■ The prince is to press ahead with plans for an arms-selling mission to Saudi Arabia next month;`

■ A close friend who exchanged text messages with Andrew over the weekend claimed he feared being stripped of his role as a trade envoy for Britain as the controversy around him deepens.

At least two of Andrew"s visits to Azerbaijan have been entirely private, leading to speculation in the local media that he has business interests in the country, including a golf complex nears the shores of the Caspian Sea. But Buckingham Palace has strenuously denied this.

Azerbaijan is a vital trading partner for Britain. British companies account for 51 per cent of the country"s foreign investment. Some 150 UK firms operate in the state. But last night critics questioned whether a member of the Royal Family should count such autocratic leaders among his friends.

The revelations will lay the prince open to claims that he is blurring his role as Britain"s trade envoy with his private interests.

Andrew has so far faced down pressure over links with a U.S. sex offender, a Libyan gun runner and members of the family of the deposed Tunisian president. Yesterday as a close friend of the Duke revealed he was "very, very worried" about his role, pressure intensified over his latest plans to discuss arms deals on a trip to Saudi Arabia. Now his links with Azerbaijan are coming under scrutiny. On one occasion, Andrew - nicknamed "Air Miles Andy" - chartered a private jet to whisk him to the secretive state, costing taxpayers £60,000.And he is reported to have visited an opulent spa owned by President Aliyev, which boasts a blind Moscow masseur claimed to be the best in the world. The Prince is also friendly with the president"s wife Mehriban, and her two glamorous daughters, one of whom, Leyla, is married to the son of a Russian oligarch and lives in a penthouse overlooking Hyde Park in London. The friendship has flourished despite the fact that the president has also welcomed Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who boasted that "the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan have adopted common stands on global issues". Andrew"s most recent visit to Azerbaijan was in November last year, making him the most senior Western figure to give succour to the president since the election described as flawed by international observers. Human rights groups say the Aliyev regime allowed "intimidation and harassment" against opposition groups when his supporters won a landslide victory. The country ranks 134 out of 178 on the Transparency International corruption index, and the president has in the past blocked BBC broadcasts to the state. Just two days ago, Amnesty International called on the regime to end its crackdown on activists planning a march on Friday to call for reform. Activists say they have been tortured, detained, threatened with rape and denied legal advice. Fuad Hassanov, an Azerbaijani human rights activist, said: "The main aim of the Azerbaijani authorities is to scare young people into submission because of what is happening in the Arab world." Nevertheless, the president and Andrew are said to be "close friends". One source said: "They appear to have common interests and a shared sense of humour. Andrew is always laughing at Ilham"s jokes, which are usually about women." Prince Andrew is known to have visited in May 2005, June 2006 and October 2007 before making two private visits in 2008. He also visited the capital Baku in June and December 2009.On his most recent visit late last year, he enjoyed a banquet thrown in his honour by the President, and discussed "economic co-operation" and "bilateral ties" between the two countries. It was for his June 2009 trip that he spent an estimated £60,000 of public money on chartering a luxury private jet for a three-day visit. If he had used a scheduled flight with British Midland he could have paid £1,300. Questions have been raised over the usefulness of his visits to Azerbaijan, and sources in the capital said there had been a "struggle" to find him enough suitable engagements. Paul Flynn, a Labour backbench MP, said: "The Royal Family has no business cultivating friendships with someone who has a record of being a brutal autocrat. The dear friends of today can end up being the murderous dictators of tomorrow. Azerbaijan is a very primitive democracy that doesn"t recognise human rights." But last night Tory MP Andrew Rosindell, a member of the Commons foreign affairs committee, backed the prince over his Azerbaijani links. "Azerbaijan is an oil-rich country which we could do an enormous amount of trade with," he said. "The fact that the Duke of York has built up strong relations with the leaders is a jolly good thing. I commend him for it and I think all he is doing is right. Azerbaijan is not a country with our standards of human rights but there are many countries like that that we trade with." A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "The Duke"s work in Azerbaijan focuses on oil, gas and energy security issues, all of which have great potential to deliver substantial opportunities for British companies. His work there is highly valued and he continues to play a role, at the request of government, in helping to develop trade relations between our two countries."