The revelation will not improve Prince Andrew’s reputation. Friday, December 13, the British media exposed the friendship of the brother of King Charles III with a businessman accused of spying for China, who was banned from entering the United Kingdom for national security reasons. Known as H6he was described by the judges in charge of the case as “close confidant of the duke”, reports the Telegraph.
Banned from traveling to the UK by authorities in 2023, H6 – only known by his code name – appealed the decision to a special court. The initial decision was upheld by Britain’s semi-secret national security court on Thursday. The judges assured that the Minister of the Interior at the time, Suella Braverman“was entitled to conclude that the applicant represented a risk to the national security of the United Kingdom and that she was entitled to conclude that his exclusion was justified and proportionate”.
The Interior Ministry concluded that the businessman was involved in “secret and deceptive” activities on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and could therefore pose a threat to the national security. What the judges supported in the appeals committee, indicating that H6 was capable of “creating relationships between senior Chinese officials and British personalities that could be exploited for the purposes of political interference by the Chinese state,” writes the BBC.
Guest at Prince Andrew’s birthday
The 50-year-old man, who moved in Prince Andrew’s circle, was invited to his birthday party in 2020 and received several times in Buckingham and Windsor, according to the Times. A close relationship confirmed by a letter found in H6’s phone. Sent by an advisor to the Duke of York, Dominic Hampshireit gave him authorization to act on behalf of Prince Andrew “in the context of engagements with potential partners and investors in China”.
“Apart from the closest internal confidants [du prince]you are at the top of a tree where many, many people would like to be,” it was written in the missive, reports the BBC. “Under your leadership, we found a way to get the people involved in and out of Windsor House without anyone noticing,” without the identity of these “people” being revealed. The letter also mentioned that Queen Elizabeth II’s son was “in a desperate situation” and would hold on “to anything.”
Prince Andrew’s scandals
After reading the letter, the appeal committee established that H6 had gained an “unusual degree of trust from a senior member of the royal family who was prepared to engage in business activities with him”, which could disrupt British affairs. The judges also noted that the relationship between the alleged spy and the prince had developed when the latter was “under considerable pressure”, which could “make him vulnerable to the abuse of this type of influence” .
