Prince Andrew invited an alleged Chinese spy into Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle.
The Chinese businessman, 50, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was invited into Buckingham Palace twice, according to the Times.
The pair, whose relationship is thought to date back to 2012, previously attended a function at St James’s Palace and Winsor Caste.
The Chinese businessman, who was not known to be a security risk at the time, attended Prince Andrew’s birthday party at Royal Lodge, where the Duke and Duchess of York reside.
Prince Andrew invited an alleged Chinese spy into Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle
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The 30-bedroom Windsor property has sparked a royal feud between the Duke of York and King Charles, with the monarch suggesting his brother should downsize to Frogmore Cottage.
The alleged spy was barred from entering the UK in 2021 when he was stopped at the border under counterterrorism laws.
In a hearing on Thursday in which he unsuccessfully tried to overturn the ban, details of the individual’s connection to the Royal Family emerged.
Other senior figures who met with the man include former chancellor George Osborne.
A statement from Andrew’s office asserted that Andrew had “ceased all contact” with the businessman
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A statement from Andrew’s office asserted that Andrew had “ceased all contact” with the businessman.
The announcement read: “The Duke of York followed advice from His Majesty’s Government and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised.
“The duke met the individual through official channels, with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed.
“He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.”
The Windsor property has sparked a royal feud between the Duke of York and King Charles, with the monarch suggesting his brother should downsize to Frogmore Cottage
PA
MI5 allegedly discovered the businessman, known only as H6, was a member of the Chinese Communist Party and was working for its United Front Work Department, which gathers intelligence.
His ban from entering the UK has been upheld after an appeal to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).
The man brought a case to the SIAC after then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman said he should be excluded from the UK in March 2023.
Judges were told that in a briefing for the Home Secretary in July 2023, officials claimed H6 had been potentially able to generate relationships between prominent UK figures and senior Chinese officials “that could be leveraged for political interference purposes”.
