Prince Andrew takes a break in Valderrama and Sotogrande

The third son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip was seen leaving a private jet which had just arrived in Málaga with his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie of York, and getting into a car which was to take them to a villa in the prestigious urbanisation of Sotogrande (Cádiz province).

Clare Mountbatten had already confirmed Prince Andrew's ex-wife and the Princess' mother, former Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, had rented the villa near the sea and the famous polo club.

It is not clear whether Sarah Ferguson is with Prince Andrew and their daughters, although even after the couple's divorce, they still continued to go on family holidays together.

The Prince was in fact already in Spain when the scandal surrounding millionnaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein broke out and the subsequent news of the latter's suicide in jail – but the whereabouts of the younger brother of Prince Charles remained unknown.

It was not until Wednesday that he was spotted by reporters in Málaga.

Since then, he has been seen enjoying rounds at the Valderrama Royal Golf Club, one of the most élite in Europe, consistently voted the best in Spain and reputed to be the top in the world.

Prince Andrew was sighted wearing white socks, blue trousers, a golf cap and a cream polo shirt.

As the family usually rents a villa somewhere in Sotogrande in summer, Prince Andrew plays at Valderrama regularly.

Given the club's international reputation and prestige, golfers of the Prince's social status are not at all unusual – other celebrities known to have played a round at Valderrama include George W Bush and Prince Rainer of Monaco.

Becoming a member of the club requires votes from at least two others and even then, entry is subject to an interview with the admissions committee.

The membership list is top-secret – all that is known about it is that it is mostly made up of very wealthy foreigners.