Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles III, has become the subject of yet another scandal after an alleged Chinese spy used him to get access to the heart of the British establishment. According to The Guardian, the businessman, identified only as “H6” for legal reasons, had gained unusual level of trust from the senior royal. However, in a rare statement, issued by Andrew’s office, the royal insisted that he “ceased all contact” with the alleged spy after concerns were raised, and that “nothing of a sensitive nature was ever discussed”.
The Guardian quoted court documents to report that the businessman was so close to the Duke of York, he was authorised to act on his behalf in an international financial initiative with potential partners and investors in China.
A March 2020 letter written to him by Dominic Hampshire, a senior adviser to Prince Andrew, was also found in the alleged spy’s phone, which referred to him being invited to the duke’s birthday party. “Outside of his closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on,” the letter said, as per the outlet.
The BBC said that H6 formed an “unusual degree of trust” with the duke and has since been banned from the UK. The alleged spy even appealed against his ban in 2023, but the decision was upheld by the UK’s national security court.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment, saying they do not act for Prince Andrew, who is not a working royal.
What we know about H6?
As per The Independent, the alleged Chinese spy called the UK his “second home” and had previously been granted indefinite leave to remain in Britain.
He is said to have used his high profile connection to secure invitations to Buckingham Palace and other royal residences, with fresh reports now alleging he also met two former prime ministers, including David Cameron and Theresa May.
H6 was finally expelled from Britain in 2023 when then-home secretary Suella Braverman’s office said he reportedly engaged in “covert and deceptive activity” on behalf of the United Front Work Department (UFWD), which is an arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) state apparatus.
Prince Andrew’s controversial past
The disgraced prince has been facing scrutiny since 2019 over his friendship with US financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Prince Andrew stepped back from royal duties in November 2019 and has faced questions about his finances.
Prince Andrew reached a settlement in a civil sexual assault case brought against him by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s accusers. He has always denied assaulting Ms Giuffre.
