LONDON: Revelations {that a} suspected Chinese spy became a confidant of Britain’s Prince Andrew have renewed scrutiny of King Charles III’s disgraced brother as he heaps new embarrassment on the royal household.
The late Queen Elizabeth II’s second, and reportedly favorite, son featured on the entrance pages of UK newspapers for a 3rd straight day on Sunday (Dec 15) over his hyperlinks to the unnamed Chinese language businessman.
It’s the newest humiliation for the 64-year-old whose repute is already in tatters after settling a US sexual assault case and his friendship with accused little one intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew withdrew from frontline royal duties in late 2019 after public outrage over a disastrous tv interview wherein he denied the assault allegations and defended his relationship with Epstein.
Queen Elizabeth II later stripped Andrew of his honorary army titles and patronages, successfully shutting him out of royal life, after he settled the US civil declare with out admitting legal responsibility.
The most recent scandal erupted on Thursday after judges upheld a authorities ban on the businessman, recognized solely as H6, from coming into Britain.
The tribunal heard that the prince’s aide informed the suspected spy that he might assist in potential dealings with Chinese language buyers. H6 additionally acquired an invite to Andrew’s party.
The judges mentioned the prince’s troubles had left him “susceptible” to exploitation, elevating questions on Andrew’s position as a non-working royal.
Charles reportedly minimize off his youthful brother’s funding earlier this yr, whereas UK newspapers say he desires to maneuver Andrew out of his present dwelling and right into a smaller one.
Writing within the Sunday Occasions, royal professional Craig Prescott at Royal Holloway College of London mentioned “cash stays a problem for Andrew” and his “solely apparent supply of revenue is his Royal Navy pension”.
The broadsheet, quoting unnamed sources, reported that the prince, also referred to as the Duke of York, was even contemplating transferring to the Gulf completely.
Andrew’s solely feedback got here on Friday when he mentioned he had “adopted recommendation” from the federal government and “ceased all contact with the person after issues have been raised”.
“The duke met the person by means of official channels, with nothing of a delicate nature ever mentioned,” his workplace mentioned in a press release.
The story appears set to rumble on, nevertheless, amid fears about China’s obvious means to infiltrate the British institution.
