Princess Beatrice's husband jets out of the country during Prince Andrew drama

Princess Beatrice's property developer husband has revealed he is not in the UK. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi shared photos on his social media account from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as debate continues to rage around whether Prince Andrew should be stripped of his dukedom for his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The prince announced last week that he would stop using his Duke of York title to avoid distracting from the work of the Royal Family. But an Act of Parliament would be required to officially remove his dukedom.

Four out of five Britons want Andrew to be formally stripped of his dukedom, according to a YouGov poll, and a clamour has also grown for the prince to be thrown out of his rent-free 30-room mansion in Windsor. The murky association between prince and paedophile has dogged Andrew for over a decade, but as matters come to a head, speculation is rife about how his two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are coping.

It is not clear whether Beatrice travelled to Malaysia with her husband, but she was photographed driving into Andrew's Royal Lodge on Wednesday, suggesting she had stayed in the UK and was supporting her father.

The princesses' mother, Sarah Ferguson, has also come under fire in recent days and weeks for her reported emails to Epstein in which she allegedly called him a "steadfast, generous and supreme friend" and asked him to pay off her significant debts.

Sarah has surrendered her Duchess of York title, but the dukedom continues to exist in all but a public communications sense, although a new law allowing King Charles to formally strip Andrew of it was introduced in the Commons on Wednesday.

Sir Keir Starmer also hinted at his support for a select committee inquiry into whether Prince Andrew should be allowed to remain in his 30-room mansion on "peppercorn" rent during PMQs.

Responding to Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey, who asked whether the Prime Minister believed MPs should "properly scrutinise the Crown Estate to ensure taxpayers' interests are protected", Mr Starmer answered in the affirmative.

"It's important in relation to all Crown properties that there is proper scrutiny, and I certainly support that," he said.

Andrew, who has denied any wrongdoing and allegations made against him by late Virginia Giuffre, has lived in Royal Lodge for nominal rent since 2003, although he paid £1 million for the lease and a further £7.5 million for refurbishments.

Downing Street has also backed calls for the prince to go to the police with any information he has about Epstein's activities.