Prince Andrew spotted riding horse after latest China ‘spy' claims
Prince Andrew has been seen for the first time since it emerged the King had held secret meetings with him about his planned Chinese investment scheme run by an alleged spy.
The Duke of York was photographed riding a horse near his home at Royal Lodge in Windsor, Berkshire, on Saturday morning.
He appeared cheery despite it emerging on Friday that the King was aware of an investment fund in which Yang Tengbo, an alleged spy, was directly involved.
A witness statement provided to an immigration tribunal by Dominic Hampshire, a senior adviser to Prince Andrew, said he and the Duke were twice smuggled into Windsor Castle for clandestine meetings with the King during which the Eurasia Fund was discussed.
The fund, which aimed to plough Chinese investment into renewable energy projects in Africa, would have provided an income for the Duke following his public fall from grace.
Sources insist the fund failed to get off the ground and never traded, but it appears to have been linked to an entity called Eurasia Global Partners, incorporated as a management consultancy firm in November 2022.
Yang, who was banned from the UK on national security grounds, was a junior partner, owning just under a third of the company.
Elsewhere in the document, Mr Hampshire reveals that he had discussed such work not only with the King but with key advisers to Elizabeth II.
He also claims that the Duke was a key conduit to Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, and admits that the Duke's reputation was 'irrecoverable' following his notorious Newsnight interview.
Buckingham Palace said on Friday that the King had no knowledge of the Duke's dealings with Yang, previously identified in court documents as H6, who they said was never directly mentioned in their meetings.
A palace spokesman said: 'While His Majesty met with the Duke and his adviser to hear outline proposals for independent funding over the past year, the individual known as H6 was not mentioned at any time or in any way as part of these discussions.'
Royal sources appeared to cast doubt on other claims made in the statement concerning senior figures from the Royal household, suggesting that certain details did not conform with their understanding and record of events.
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