UK courts release new documents on Prince Andrew's relationship to alleged Chinese spy
Prince Andrew's links to an alleged Chinese spy were detailed in documents released Friday by British courts, which included a statement from a former close aide to the prince about the duke's line of communication to China's president Xi Jinping.
The 10-page statement from Dominique Hampshire in May of 2024 was part of a tranche of documents released by the courts following a request from numerous British media organizations regarding Prince Andrew's relationship to the alleged spy, Yang Tengbo. The documents are part of Yang's appeal of his exclusion from the UK in December, which he lost.
Yang reportedly forged a close relationship with the prince and was the co-founder of Pitch@Palace China, which expanded the duke's Pitch@Palace initiative into China.
In a tribunal hearing in December that upheld the earlier decision to bar Yang from the UK, it was revealed that Yang was authorized to act on Prince Andrew's behalf during business meetings with potential Chinese investors in the UK.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman told parliament in December she took the decision to ban Yang from the UK 'because his presence posed a threat to our national security' and was 'based on the advice of MI5,' the UK's domestic security agency.
Yang has denied any wrongdoing.
Hampshire also said Yang helped Prince Andrew draft letters to Xi discussing the Eurasia Fund, something Yang had described in his written evidence to the tribunal as a way to 'upgrade' the duke's Pitch@Palace initiative 'into an investment-type business, or a fund.' He was also tasked with talking to 'relevant people' in China, per British press agency PA.
'The royal household, including the late queen, were fully aware of this communication – it was certainly accepted and it may be fair to say it was even encouraged – it was an open channel of communication that was useful to have,' Hampshire said in the statement.
Hampshire said he met twice with Prince Andrew and King Charles over the six months prior to giving his witness statement to discuss 'what the duke can do moving forwards in a way that is acceptable to His Majesty.' Those talks included discussing the Eurasia Fund, according to PA.
Buckingham Palace said Friday that King Charles has met with Prince Andrew together with Hampshire over the past year to discuss proposals for independent funding, but Yang was never mentioned.
The relationship between the prince and Yang came about shortly after the duke's disastrous 2019 BBC interview on his relationship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which Hampshire said led to his belief that the prince's reputation was 'irrecoverable.'
'This was a common feeling within the royal household, despite what the duke thought may happen. It was very clear internally within the royal household that we would have to look at options for the duke's future away from royal duties,' Hampshire said in his witness statement, according to British news agency PA.
According to PA, Hampshire also said he never saw a 'red flag' with Yang (who also went by the name Chris), and emphasized Yang 'categorically does not have a close relationship with the duke.'
'Chris, of course, doesn't have the duke's telephone number or his email address and does not have the ability to talk directly to the duke on his own - ever. This is normal practice and Chris's relationship with the duke is the same as numerous others,' he said, according to PA.
He also said Andrew 'fully complied' with advice to end all contact with Yang.
Hampshire said in a separate statement on Friday that he left the royal household in 2022 and no longer provides advice to Andrew, according to PA.
CNN's Rob Picheta and Max Foster contributed to this report.
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