The scandal is of such enormous proportions that it has even forced its protagonist, Prince Andrew, to leave the Windsor ‘bunker’ in which he has been confined for years to broadcast a statement in which he denies (almost) everything. Basically, he assures that he did not endanger national security by introducing Buckingham Palace to a friend who turned out to be a chinese spy.
During these years, Prince Andrew has not ceased to be in the eye of the hurricane for acts that have caused the rejection of public opinion and the monarchy itself. He was the Queen Mother’s favorite, but after his death his brother, King Charles III, undertook a plan, unsuccessful at the moment, to evict him from Buckingham Palace that included exclusion from his institutional role and withdrawal from royal assignment. But there it is still.
The last thing would be described as surreal if it were not for the fact that it is a matter affecting national security. It turns out that the king’s brother became friends with a Chinese businessman whom he gradually brought into the Palace, according to official reports. And that man, known as H6, has turned out to be a spy. A scandal of astronomical proportions.
«Nothing of a sensitive nature was ever discussed»
Without hearing from him for years, Prince Andrew has been forced to issue a statement in which he has denied any relevant consequences of their friendship. He has not denied this, but he did deny that it endangered national security. And he said that very useful thing: «I broke off contact».
In a statement, his office has not denied that Prince Andrew had begun a personal relationship with the Chinese citizen, but has clarified that he always met “through official channels“and that “nothing of a sensitive nature was ever discussed.”
The spy was described by official reports as someone who had formed a “unusual degree of confidence» with the prince and has since been banned from entering the UK following a ruling by the UK National Security Court. The judges were told that the businessman was trying to take advantage of Prince Andrew’s influence.
The office of Charles III’s brother said it “could not comment further on matters related to national security,” but in His statement did not specify when he stopped having contact with the man.who was described as a “close confidant” of the prince, nor the duration of their communications.
A regular guest at Buckingham Palace
‘The Times’ also reported that H6 was invited and attended events at Buckingham PalaceSt. James’s Palace and Windsor Castle at the Duke’s request. It should be remembered that Buckingham Palace declined to comment, claiming that it does not act on behalf of Prince Andrew, who is not a working royal.
China’s embassy in the UK has denied the espionage allegation, saying that “some people in the UK are always eager to fabricate baseless ‘espionage’ stories aimed at China.” «Its purpose is to defame China and disrupt normal exchanges between Chinese and British staff,” an embassy spokesperson said.
The former Secretary of the Interior, Suella Braverman, banned H6 from entering the UK in March 2023. He then took his case to the Special Commission on Immigration Appeals, a court created to consider appeals against decisions to ban or expel someone from the country on national security or related grounds. In the published ruling, the judges upheld Braverman’s decision.
“Hostile activity” detected
Speaking to the media, Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary, said: “Our security and intelligence agencies are continually vigilant against any threat to the national security of the United Kingdom whether it be around foreign influence, around espionage or any security threat. “We will not hesitate to take action in individual cases or more broadly when any challenges arise.”
The court was told H6 was invited to Prince Andrew’s birthday party in 2020 and was told he could act on his behalf when dealing with potential investors in China. It is unclear how H6 contacted the prince, but in November 2021 police officers stopped and questioned him at the UK border after finding suspicions of “hostile activity” by a foreign state.
The Chinese spy handed over several electronic devices, including a mobile phone, and what the agents found was as worrying that the intelligence service used its exceptional powers to prohibit him from entering the country. Many questions remain open despite Prince Andrew’s statement.
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