But spend he did, for several years, until the Asian crisis of the late 1990s brought his high living to an end. Amid the fallout from the financial crash that saw economies crumble across Asia, Prince Jefri found himself accused of misappropriating $8 billion (£4 billion) from Brunei, the tiny Asian state - not much bigger than Norfolk - ruled by his brother.

The resulting row between the prince and the sultan sparked a family feud - and a decade-long legal battle that climaxed this week with a High Court judge in London issuing a warrant for Prince Jefri's arrest after he refused to attend proceedings.

But should the errant Prince Jefri return to the UK, he is likely to find himself living in the rather less impressive surroundings of HMP Pentonville, following his failure to appear at the High Court. The judge adjourned the case after issuing a bench warrant for the prince's arrest, which could be extended to cover the European Union if he does not give himself up voluntarily.

Prince Jefri stands accused of contempt of court after he allegedly failed to disclose several secret bank accounts and allowed money to be taken out of accounts that had been frozen by a previous court order. He could be jailed for up to two years if found guilty.