‘Air Miles Andy’ is back: Shamed royal took a private jet for a freebie weekend away to a French stud farm hosted by a mega rich Dubai businessman… and enjoyed fine wine, boules and horse riding on the beach

Disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor sneaked away from his exile at his Sandringham mansion for a lavish free holiday courtesy of an Arab billionaire, the Daily Mail has revealed.

The former Duke of York enjoyed what was described as a relaxing weekend break in the Brittany countryside as the VIP guest of an Emirati horse breeding tycoon.

He was invited by sportswear billionaire Mohammed A Baker to stay at his acclaimed stud farm in a rural area near St Malo in north-west France.

But intriguingly the trip may have ended in a serious mishap as just 72 hours after Andrew returned home to Norfolk he was photographed with a badly bruised face; This means that the mysterious injury that caused this probably occurred during his stay in France.

The former prince is understood to have traveled from Norwich International Airport to Dinard Airport on a private jet commissioned by Mr Baker on Saturday, May 30, spending three days at the remote stable complex and returning on the evening of Monday, June 1.

The much-discussed bruise photo was taken on the morning of June 4.

During his complimentary trip, Andrew rode horses along a vast French beach, played ball in a historic courtyard, and lavished himself with meals prepared by a private chef.

The former Duke of York enjoyed what was described as a relaxing weekend break in the Brittany countryside as the VIP guest of a horse-breeding businessman from the United Arab Emirates (seen here)

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was spotted horseback riding with his son-in-law near Windsor Castle in Berkshire on January 31 this year.

The former prince was invited by sportswear billionaire Mohammed A Baker (pictured) to his acclaimed stud farm in a rural area near St Malo in north-west France.

Andrew was photographed leaving Marsh Farm in Wolferton, Norfolk, on June 4

It is believed that the secret escape was at the suggestion and expense of the host.

Andrew spent three days at MAB Stables, the Gulf king’s extensive stud farm, which is home to around 130 thoroughbreds and their various foals.

Mr Baker, who uses the initial A as a business development, is a billionaire with extensive business and social connections in the Middle East.

Despite the deliberately low-key nature of the martyred royal’s trip to visit him, this became known to other locals.

One of these was acclaimed French racehorse trainer Arthur Desprez, who ran his own equestrian business, Ecurie Desprez, near Mr. Baker’s stud farm and did business with him in that capacity.

Mr Desprez told the Daily Mail: ‘Prince Andrew was a guest of Mohammed Baker. He stayed in his own house.’

He declined to discuss the trip further, but we also spoke with a farm worker who had seen the comings and goings around MAB.

He told us: ‘The royal man has arrived for a few days. He had only one bodyguard with him.

‘Muhammad was in France for a few days and must have invited him to stay. It could be a relaxing weekend. They rode horses together.

‘There is a direct road from the farm to the beach a few kilometers away.

‘It’s such a beautiful place and so empty. They like to take the horses there and run on the beach.

‘The Prince and Mohammed also played football together in the courtyard outside the main house.

‘The prince stayed in the house where Muhammad lived. It’s a big house and has many bedrooms. And when he’s your host, the food and wine are of exceptional quality.’

Mr Baker, 38, is the trainer king of the Middle East and Southeast Asia and has lucrative connections to shoe and sportswear brands such as Nike and Puma.

There was no previously known connection between Andrew and Mr Baker, but they clearly had contacts in common, including some particularly prominent ones.

Mr Baker was personally appointed as trade envoy to the United Arab Emirates by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai.

Andrew, meanwhile, is now a former trade envoy and has met Sheikh Al Maktoum many times at special events such as horse racing events.

Sheikh Maktoum was married to Queen Elizabeth II because of their shared love of horses and horse racing. He also had a long-term friendship with Elizabeth.

The sheikh was a regular guest of the late queen at Buckingham Palace and they spent time together at numerous events; her favorite son, Andrew, was also often there.

Mohammed Baker, who uses the initial A as business development, is a billionaire with extensive business and social connections in the Middle East.

Andrew spent three days at MAB Stables, the Gulf king’s extensive stud farm, which is home to around 130 thoroughbreds and assorted foals.

Mr Baker (left), 38, is the trainer king of the Middle East and Southeast Asia and has lucrative connections to footwear and sportswear brands such as Nike and Puma.

Mr Baker also has close ties to UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who offered Andrew an all-expenses-paid stay in the kingdom as a haven following his dramatic fall from grace.

While the former Prince’s toxic relationship with pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein left him a pariah in the west, the scandal had far less impact among his well-established network of wealthy Arab contacts.

Andrew and Mr Baker also clearly share a love of horses – Andrew has famously been photographed riding on numerous occasions since his life ended in scandal; Mr Baker regularly attends horse races in Europe as well as visits his own stables.

The farm worker from Brittany we spoke to added: ‘Mohammed Baker loves it here. He comes for a few days every few months. He loves it here; peace, tranquility and of course horses.

‘He is a very rich man, but also very humble; ‘Everyone knows him as Mohammed, not Mr Baker.’

After a decade at the helm of a firm founded by his father, Gulf Marketing Group, nearly 50 years ago, Mr. Baker continues to expand his already broad business interests.

But the cornerstone of his fortune rests on selling sportswear in the Middle East and Asia.

Because although GMG is an umbrella company with numerous business interests in areas as diverse as healthcare, education and real estate, its biggest source of income remains Sun and Sand Sports, the sports retail brand his father founded in 1985.

Sun and Sand currently has more than 500 locations in 12 countries, mostly in the Middle East, supported by regional distribution agreements with brands such as Nike, Timberland and The North Face.

The late Queen Elizabeth II In 2016, Elizabeth was photographed with Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and the then-Duke of York.

Dubai’s crown prince and defense minister. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum speaks with then-Prince Andrew at the opening of the Dubai 2001 air show

GMG also owns the franchise for the JD Sport store in the Middle East. And six years ago GMG acquired a company. Royal Sporting House, which has taken a similar stance on sportswear sales in Southeast Asia, has acquired hundreds of new stores in 57 new cities, including Singapore and Hong Kong.

Just last month, he was named among the ‘100 Most Powerful Arabs’ by a Gulf magazine and he proudly shared this fact on social media.

Mr Baker showed his admiration for the royal family by posting a tribute to Andrew’s mother, the late Queen, on social media immediately following Andrew’s death in 2022.

He wrote: ‘England’s longest reigning monarch is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. My deepest condolences to the Royal Family, the British people and the Commonwealth on the passing of Elizabeth. ‘For the last seventy years he was the symbol of stability and extraordinary legacy.’

Mr Baker is a keen horseman and the thoroughbreds from his MAB stables compete in equestrian events around the world.

His sister, Hamda Baker, who previously worked for the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and holds an executive position at GMG, gushed about her love for England, staying at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington High Street and how her ‘heart’ is in London.

Andrew has had little social contact since he was forced to leave his 30-bedroom mansion Royal Lodge in Windsor in February and move alone to a remote farm on the Sandringham estate.

On February 19, Andrew was arrested by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office due to his close relationship with convicted sex offender Epstein.

He was detained at Aylsham police station in Norfolk, about 40 miles from his home on the Sandringham estate, and held there for 11 hours for questioning.

The former prince is accused of passing market-sensitive information given to him during his role as British trade envoy to the millionaire financier.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is said to enjoy horse riding by the beach in St Malo

During his complimentary trip, Andrew rode horses along a vast French beach, played ball in a historic courtyard, and lavished himself with meals prepared by a private chef.

The 66-year-old former Royal Navy helicopter pilot was not charged and was released ‘under investigation’ at around 7pm and was photographed crouching in the back of a Range Rover trying to hide from the press.

But the royal family was not subject to any travel restrictions, meaning the trip to Britain did not need any third-party permission.

Andrew was stripped of his royal titles in October last year. King Charles began the formal process to ‘remove the style, titles and honors of Prince Andrew’, who would from then on be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

In 2019, the late Queen forced her second son to give up his royal duties and end his charity work after he failed to reveal his ties to Epstein in a disastrous interview with the BBC’s Emily Maitlis.

Mr. Baker has been reached for comment.