Campaigners have called for an inquiry into Prince Andrew's business affairs after revelations about private deals that pocketed him £4m.

Following reports in the Daily Mail, Republic has called for an inquiry into the business dealings of Prince Andrew.  The group has said that the prince should be held to the same standard as ministers.

Graham Smith, Republic's CEO, said today:

"On the face of it these reports appear to represent a clear abuse of Andrew’s position as trade envoy.  We need complete transparency about what Andrew’s role entailed and full disclosure about any business deals he’s made privately while representing Britain."

"If these allegations are true they are very serious, a clear misuse of public office.  We now need parliament to step in and investigate this further."

"We need to apply the same standards to Prince Andrew as we do to politicians.  Any minister accused of making money through official channels would be suspended or sacked pending investigation.  How do we hold Andrew to that same standard?"

"I’m very concerned about the palace’s attempts to closed down this story.  There’s a clear public interest in knowing if Andrew has been using his publicly funded position to line his own pockets."

"This is just one of the many things we know we don’t know about the royals.  We need to see a step change toward much greater transparency and accountability from the palace.  The shabby attempt to cover up a public interest story is typical of the monarchy’s constant demands for secrecy."