Royal | News - Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
King Charles has been briefed by the MI5 after Prince Andrew was linked to a Chinese businessman accused of being a spy.
An emergency meeting was held with the king’s most senior aides as counter-intelligence officers are probing how the scandal-hit Duke accepted the man as his “confidante”, the Mirror reports.
The Chinese businessman was banned from the UK as a threat to national security, and lost his appeal this week.
The Duke of York’s office has released a statement saying he had cut ties following “advice” from officials.
The statement also makes clear the pair had never discussed anything of a “sensitive nature”.
A royal source told The Mirror: “The King has been briefed about this situation regarding the suspected Chinese spy and is very aware of what has been and what is being done about it.”
According to The Mirror, judges in the case heard how the suspected spy – referred to as H6 – formed a close working relationship with Prince Andrew and even received an invite to his birthday party in 2020.
The UK’s MI5 domestic intelligence agency now believes that the Prince’s Chinese confidante may have become a “gateway” agent used to find a path into Andrew’s network, targeting the duke as he was believed to be vulnerable at the time following the scandal regarding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Concerns are now high as The Home Office reportedly think the suspected spy, who was believed to be working for the China Communist Party, could have used their relationship with Prince Andrew for political interference.
The full statement from Prince Andrew’s office reads: “The Duke of York followed advice from HMG and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised.
“The duke met the individual through official channels, with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed. He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.”
The security matter comes at the end of a difficult few months for the duke and his relationship with his brother King Charles.
According to various reports, the King has spent months trying to get the prince to downsize from Royal Lodge in Windsor, however Andrew has refused to do so.