Prince Andrew has an unlikely ally north of the Border with an offer of a remote bolthole to weather the storm over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Barrister Samantha Kane, the only person in the UK to have changed sex three times, is contacting the royal to let him know her Highland castle is available for him and his family.
The self-styled Lady Carbisdale is also ready to represent the disgraced prince claiming he has suffered ‘unfair’ accusations as he is being judged purely by the court of public opinion.
Ms Kane, owner Carbisdale Castle, in Sutherland, said: ‘I am writing to the prince to offer my castle for his exclusive use – and that of his family, including his former wife, Sarah Ferguson.
‘I feel strongly that he is being hounded unfairly. He remains innocent of these allegations.
‘I am also prepared to offer to represent him against these allegations and over moves to oust him from his current property.
‘I really think he has been treated badly.’
Originally built for Mary Caroline, the Duchess of Sutherland in 1907, the castle gave sanctuary to King Haakon VII of Norway and Crown Prince Olav during the Nazi occupation of their native country during the Second World War.
The self-styled Lady Carbisdale has offered Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson her castle
Barrister Samantha Kane has offered to represent the disgraced prince
Ms Kane says the property’s history shows it is fit for Prince Andrew amid reports King Charles is trying to banish him to the Castle of Mey, the late Queen Mother’s former home in Caithness.
She added: ‘In response to the King sending Prince Andrew into exile in the Highlands, I am happy to make Carbisdale Castle available to Prince Andrew, as it is more fit to receive a Prince than, with the greatest of respect, the Castle of Mey.
‘I believe the Prince, like anyone else, must not be judged by public opinion without a proper hearing which he was not given.
‘The castle has been home to a king, a prince and a duchess so it has established Royal links, with rooms like the Prince Olav Dining Room, highlighting those connections.
‘I will also be largely based in London for a while to concentrate on a number of important cases. I hope he takes up my offer.’
Andrew is facing fresh humiliation with the posthumous publication of sex accuser Virginia Giuffre’s book, which includes allegations that she was forced to sleep with him three times by his friend Epstein.
Last week, the 65-year-old confirmed he would no longer use his Duke of York or Earl of Inverness titles, as well as other honours, despite retaining the right to – as only an Act of Parliament can formally remove them.
The royal, who has always denied any wrongdoing and insists he never met Giuffre, has also faced new accusations that he had his team try to dig up dirt on the mother-of-three, who took her own life earlier this year at the age of 41.
Now the King is under pressure to take more action against his brother, although sources suggest he has gone as far as he can.
Ms Kane called herself Lady Carbisdale after buying the Sutherland property
It has now been suggested that the monarch is trying to persuade Andrew to move to the Highlands.
Ms Kane recently put her castle on the market, slashing the asking price from £5million to £3.5million, before removing it from the sale.
Born in Iraq as a man named Sam Hashimi, she had surgery in 1997 to become Samantha, before a second op in 2004 when she changed her name to Charles Kane and then a third surgery to become Samantha again in 2018.
She is a trained engineer, barrister and business tycoon, who as Sam Hashimi spearheaded a Saudi bid to buy Sheffield United Football Club in 2000.
Ms Kane called herself Lady Carbisdale after buying the Sutherland property – then a dilapidated 19-bedroom clifftop castle near Ardgay in 2022.
She renovated it with plans including eco-lodges, an exclusive members’ club and even a recreation of the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon on the property’s sloping grounds.
The controversial figure, who has had a fall out with the local community council, says she has ploughed millions of pounds into restoring Carbisdale Castle to its former glory after fulfilling her dream to become a ‘princess in her own fairytale’ by buying the 118-year-old property.
For about 60 years from 1945, the property was run as a youth hostel.
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