Prince Andrew invited the businessman suspected of being a Chinese spy to Buckingham Palace, it’s been reported.
The Duke of York welcomed him to the palace on two occasions, as well as Windsor Castle and St James’s Palace, The Times reports.
Yesterday, Andrew said he ‘ceased all contact’ with the man, who has been banned from Britain on national security grounds.
According to a statement from his office, the prince met him through ‘official channels’ with ‘nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed’.
The businessman was reportedly working for China’s United Front Work Department, which gathers intelligence.
A legal case, largely held behind closed doors, heard the alleged spy was authorised to act on Andrew’s behalf to seek investors in China.
The supposed spy has been deported, MailOnline reports, and his appeal to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission to reverse the ban has failed.
Several newspapers have reported that the King has been briefed about his brother’s links to the alleged spy.
The immigration court’s decision has now been made public, and during those legal proceedings judges were told about data from the alleged spy’s phone.
His phone was seized in 2021 when he was stopped under counterterrorism laws at the UK border.
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took further steps over the summer to distance themselves from the disgraced duke, with the King said to have withdrawn his £1 million annual ‘living allowance’ as well as the security Charles had been privately funding for Andrew’s home.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.
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