Prince Andrew Confirms Ending Contact with Alleged Chinese Spy

Prince Andrew stated he “ceased all contact” with a businessman, who stands accused of being a Chinese spy, following guidance from the government. A statement from his office indicated that Prince Andrew had encountered the individual “through official channels” and affirmed that “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed.” The individual, identified only as H6 and alleged to be a spy, was characterized in court as having established an “unusual degree of trust” with the duke. H6 has subsequently been prohibited from entering the UK, a decision rendered by the UK’s semi-secret national security court. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper affirmed that the government would “always stand ready to take action” against “any kind of challenge or threat to UK national security.” H6 lodged an appeal against his initial prohibition in 2023, but the court sustained the original ruling. The court was informed that the businessman sought to exploit Prince Andrew’s influence. The duke’s office declared him “unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.” His statement omitted details regarding the exact timing of when he discontinued contact with the individual, described as a “close confidant” of Prince Andrew, or the length of their interactions. The Times also reported that H6 received invitations to and participated in events at Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace, and Windsor Castle, at the duke’s behest. Buckingham Palace refused to comment, stating that they do not represent Prince Andrew, as he is no longer a working royal. The Chinese embassy in the UK refuted the espionage allegations, asserting that “some individuals in the UK are always eager to fabricate baseless ‘spy’ stories targeting China.” A spokesperson for the embassy stated, “Their purpose is to smear China and disrupt normal exchanges between Chinese and British personnel.” Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman imposed a ban on H6 from the UK in March 2023. Subsequently, he presented his case to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, a tribunal established to review appeals against orders to prohibit or deport individuals from the nation on grounds of national security or associated reasons. The published judgment revealed that the judges affirmed Braverman’s decision. On Saturday, Cooper informed broadcasters, saying: “Our security and intelligence agencies are continually vigilant for any threat to UK national security.” She continued: “Whether that be around foreign influence, whether it be around espionage, whether it be around any security threat. We won’t hesitate to take action in individual cases or more widely wherever any challenge arises.” Evidence presented in court indicated that H6 received an invitation to Prince Andrew’s birthday party in 2020 and was authorized to represent him in discussions with prospective investors in China. The precise nature of H6’s close relationship with the prince remains unclear, but in November 2021, police officers intercepted and interrogated him at the UK border, utilizing powers to probe suspicions of “hostile activity” by a foreign state. During this stop, H6 relinquished several electronic devices, including a mobile phone. The findings on these devices caused such alarm for the security service MI5 that Braverman exercised her extraordinary powers to prohibit H6 from the nation. A letter discovered on one of his devices revealed that Dominic Hampshire, an adviser to Prince Andrew, informed H6: “Outside of [the prince’s] closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on.” Mr. Hampshire further stated: “Under your guidance, we found a way to get the relevant people unnoticed in and out of the house in Windsor.” The excerpt from the letter included in the ruling provides no additional information regarding the identity of the “relevant people.” Mr. Hampshire additionally verified to H6 that he possessed authorization to represent Prince Andrew in discussions “with potential partners and investors in China.” A document outlining “main talking points” for a telephone conversation with Prince Andrew was also discovered. This document noted: “IMPORTANT: Manage expectations. Really important to not set ‘too high’ expectations – he is in a desperate situation and will grab onto anything.” The court concluded that this implied H6 was capable “to generate relationships between senior Chinese officials and prominent UK figures which could be leveraged for political interference purposes by the Chinese State.” The judges observed that H6 had gained an “unusual degree of trust from a senior member of the Royal Family who was prepared to enter into business activities with him.” They further noted that this relationship evolved during a period when the prince was “under considerable pressure,” a circumstance that “could make him vulnerable to the misuse of that sort of influence.” The prince encountered heightened scrutiny from late 2019 concerning his association with the deceased US financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including his well-known Newsnight interview in November of that year. He withdrew from royal responsibilities in November 2019, and since then, the prince has been persistently questioned regarding his judgment and financial affairs. Inquiries into the prince’s finances arose after he agreed to a settlement – reportedly amounting to millions – in a civil sexual assault lawsuit filed against him by Virginia Giuffre, an accuser of Epstein. The prince has consistently denied assaulting Ms Giuffre. Isabel Hilton, editor at China Dialogue, informed BBC News that Chinese state agents typically aim to target “members of the House of Lords or prominent business people, or people who have a voice in the community.” She also commented that it was “quite ambitious” to target a royal figure and “quite unwise for a member of the Royal Family to allow himself to be targeted.” Security officials harbored concerns that Beijing was attempting to execute an “elite capture” operation to sway the Duke of York, leveraging the pressure he was experiencing. This tactic involves appointing high-profile individuals to Chinese businesses, think tanks, or universities. H6 was later notified that UK authorities suspected him of being linked to the United Front Work Department (UFWD), a division of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) responsible for carrying out influence operations. The judgment stated that MI5 director general Ken McCallum had voiced apprehension regarding the threat to the UK from political interference by China, and that entities like the UFWD were “mounting patient, well-funded, deceptive campaigns to buy and exert influence.” The Home Office indicated their belief that H6 had participated in clandestine and misleading activities on behalf of the CCP, and that his connection with Prince Andrew could be exploited for political interference. Suella Braverman has since advocated for H6 to have his anonymity revoked, telling The Daily Telegraph that “disclosing the identity of this person will have a deterrent effect.” Nevertheless, when questioned about lifting the anonymity, the home secretary responded: “We always respect the decisions of the courts and also don’t comment on individual cases.”