By Lucy Bannerman
A convicted Libyan gun smuggler who once boasted of his influence over the Duke of York was a guest at the royal wedding.
Tarek Kaituni, 54, played a prominent role in brokering secret meetings between Prince Andrew and the late Libyan dictator, Colonel Gaddafi. He claimed to have helped secure the release of the Lockerbie bomber, Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi.
Sakher El Materi, left, was introduced to Prince Andrew by Tarek Kaituni, right
He spent a year in a Tunisian jail for possession of drugs and was later given a suspended sentence for having smuggled a sub-machinegun into France.
Mr Kaituni attended the ceremony in Windsor and the black-tie reception for friends and family. His presence will renew scrutiny of his friendship with Prince Andrew.
The prince stood down as Britain’s special representative for trade and investment in 2011 after he was criticised over his friendship with the American financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted paedophile.
Mr Kaituni confirmed his attendance. “It was a nice wedding,” he told The Mail on Sunday.
The Libyan once gave Eugenie’s sister, Beatrice, an £18,000 diamond necklace months before the duke allegedly lobbied a British company on his behalf.
Buckingham Palace denied allegations that Prince Andrew had been improperly influenced by Mr Kaituni.
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