Sheikh Hamad Isa Ali al-Khalifa is said to have drawn up a list of 26 A-listers he wanted to meet, and agreed to pay £1.15 million for each 15-minute encounter.

But Egyptian businessman Ahmed Adel Abdallah Ahmed, who co-ordinated the meetings, said the sheikh pulled out after just four meetings, having paid only £2.3 million.

He claims that the sheikh also pulled out of a £380,000 deal to sponsor the Times of India Film Awards.

Ahmed has launched legal proceedings before the High Court in London for the loss of earnings, The Independent reports.

The sheikh claims that Ahmed was “forcibly trying to impose” unwanted meetings with Bollywood stars on him.