Bussiness
Prince Andrew’s ‘close confidant’ accused of being ‘Chinese spy,’ banned from UK: report
It appears as though Prince Andrew can’t help but attract controversy within his circle: His business adviser is accused of being a spy, according to reports.
The disgraced Duke of York’s former staffer, who has not been named and is only known as a “close confidant,” has been banned from entering the UK as a result of the allegations.
A special immigration investigation has been launched, BBC News reports.
British officials reportedly believe that the 50-year-old man was a member of the Chinese Communist Party and had secretly worked for its United Front Work Department.
On Friday, the unnamed man had lost his appeal against the UK government’s decision to ban him from the country, effective March 2023.
While it’s unclear exactly how he and Andrew, 64, became acquainted, the disgraced royal previously invited his former business adviser to his birthday party in 2020.
At the party, he allegedly told Andrew that he couldn’t act on his behalf when dealing with potential Chinese investors, the outlet adds. He also received an invite to join the royals at their estate in Windsor.
According to the published ruling, in which the man is referred to as H6, the judge said that former Home Secretary Suella Braverman was “entitled to conclude that [H6] represented a risk to the national security of the United Kingdom.”
The ruling also states that Braverman was “entitled to conclude that his exclusion was justified and proportionate.”
British officials have said the access the man had to the royals was a “serious breach of national security,” the Times of London reports.
In a letter found on one of his electronic devices, one of Andrew’s advisers told him, “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,” per the BBC.
Among the other items found was a briefing document in which the “main talking points” were laid out for a call the man was slated to have with Andrew.
The document read, “IMPORTANT: Manage expectations. Really important to not set ‘too high’ expectations — he is in a desperate situation and will grab onto anything,” the BBC adds.
The Post has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.