An alleged Chinese spy banned from the UK on security grounds was reportedly invited to Buckingham Palace by Prince Andrew.
The businessman at the centre of the latest scandal to engulf the Duke of York is said to have twice visited the royal residence at the invitation of her son.
The suspected spy, known only as H6, also entered St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle, The Times reported.
Andrew insists he “ceased all contact” with the businessman accused of being a Chinese spy when concerns were first raised about him. He met the individual through “official channels” and “nothing of a sensitive nature was ever discussed”, a statement from his office said.
King Charles has also reportedly been briefed by British security services over his brother’s association with the alleged spy, described as a “close confidante” of Andrew.
It is the latest association of the Duke of York’s to cause controversy, after his affiliation with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein led to him being removed from royal duties after conducting a disastrous interview with BBC Newsnight.
Details of his relationship with H6 were revealed after the businessman lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds.
He brought a case to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) after then-home secretary Suella Braverman said he should be excluded from the UK in March 2023.
Judges were told that H6 had been in a position to generate relationships between prominent UK figures and senior Chinese officials “that could be leveraged for political interference purposes”.
They also said H6 had downplayed his relationship with the Chinese state, which combined with his relationship with Andrew, 64, represented a threat to national security.
At a hearing in July, the specialist tribunal heard the businessman was told by an adviser to Andrew that he could act on the duke’s behalf when dealing with potential investors in China, and that H6 had been invited to Andrew’s birthday party in 2020.
A letter referencing the birthday party from the adviser, Dominic Hampshire, was discovered on H6’s devices when he was stopped at a port in November 2021.
In a ruling on Thursday, Mr Justice Bourne, Judge Stephen Smith and Sir Stewart Eldon, dismissed the challenge.
It comes after the royal family reportedly took further steps over the summer to distance themselves from the disgraced duke, with the King said to have axed his £1 million annual “living allowance” and the security Charles had been privately funding for Andrew’s home.
Andrew Lownie, who is writing a biography of the Duke and Sarah, Duchess of York, said the latest revelations involving the King’s younger brother would impact the wider family and the “future of the monarchy”, as he called for greater transparency around the the royals’ finances.
He said: “The real scandals surrounding him are financial more than sexual.
“Given he cannot police his own activities and understand where the moral boundaries lie, it is time for proper scrutiny of his finances and a public register of royal interests.
“Judging from online comments to newspaper articles, this episode is highly damaging for the whole of the royal family whose finances and business activities should now be more transparent.
“Time, too, for the exemption for them in the Freedom of Information Act be removed and their wills not sealed.
“After recent scandals, I think this is a very serious moment for the future of the monarchy.”
Buckingham Palace and the Duke of York’s office have been approached for comment.
