Prince Andrew’s popularity was once “irrecoverable” following his Newsnight interview, in line with his senior aide.
A witness commentary from Dominic Hampshire additionally unearths he was once instructed through intelligence products and services they’d “authentic considerations” in regards to the alleged Chinese language secret agent Yang Tengbo and his “affect at the Duke of York”.
The court docket papers, launched on Friday, had been utilized in a case associated with Yang, who was once excluded from the United Kingdom on nationwide safety grounds in March 2023. He denies any wrongdoing.
Mr Hampshire, who labored with the Duke of York till leaving the royal family in 2022, supplied proof to the Particular Immigration Appeals Fee (SIAC).
His proof was once to start with saved non-public, however the fee launched it on Friday after appeals through information organisations.
Listed below are one of the vital key issues from his proof:
• Mr Hampshire had two conferences with Prince Andrew and the King to talk about a fund attached to Yang Tengbo.
• Prince Andrew “has all the time had a communique channel” with the Chinese language president, Xi Jinping.
• Intelligence products and services had “authentic considerations” about Yang and his “affect at the Duke of York”.
• Mr Hampshire used “important inventive licence” with Yang to stroke his ego.
• Yang “categorically does no longer have a detailed dating with the duke”.
Symbol: Prince Andrew attends the Royal Circle of relatives’s Christmas Day provider at St. Mary Magdalene’s church. Report pic: Reuters
One of the crucial proof associated with the prince’s disastrous BBC interview about Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Hampshire mentioned: “After the Newsnight interview and in the following couple of months, it was once transparent that the duke’s popularity was once irrecoverable.
“This was once a commonplace feeling throughout the royal family, in spite of what the duke idea might occur.
“It was once very transparent internally throughout the royal family that we must have a look at choices for the duke’s long run clear of royal tasks.”
Mr Hampshire added that, whilst he liked Yang’s “loyalty and reinforce for status through the duke when all others had been deserting him”, Yang – known as Chris – “categorically does no longer have a detailed dating with the duke”.
Judges banned Yang from the United Kingdom, pronouncing the businessman was once a “shut confidant” of Prince Andrew and posed a danger to nationwide safety.
Yang unsuccessfully challenged that call.
The paperwork display that Mr Hampshire had two conferences with the Duke of York and the King at which a fund referred to as the Eurasia Fund was once mentioned.
That fund is hooked up to Yang.
Symbol: Yang Tengbo pictured with Prince Andrew
King met Andrew’s aide
Buckingham Palace issued a commentary on Friday to verify the scope of the ones conferences: “Whilst His Majesty met with The Duke and his adviser [Dominic Hampshire] to listen to define proposals for impartial investment during the last yr, the person referred to as H6 [Yang] was once no longer discussed at any time or in anyway as a part of those discussions.”
Research: Andrew’s previous nonetheless haunts him and his circle of relatives
We now know significantly extra in regards to the plans and suggestions to lend a hand Prince Andrew transfer ahead after his automobile crash tv interview.
And the way the overdue Queen and the King had been each saved knowledgeable in regards to the concepts being regarded as, together with two conferences with the King, the duke and his maximum senior guide.
It is usually a lot clearer how disastrous the interview have been for the duke’s popularity. And the way Andrew’s connections with China had been in all probability his handiest hope when it got here to his subsequent transfer, out of doors existence as a running royal.
The palace would a lot moderately all this have been saved secret.
The reality a commentary has been launched is important and displays how willing the royal family is to distance itself from any affiliation with the alleged Chinese language secret agent.
We all know too that the palace disputes one of the vital assertions made in Dominic Hampshire’s candid witness commentary.
Mr Hampshire was once some of the few individuals who caught through the prince after the Newsnight interview. He performed a substantial position in efforts to search out Andrew long run employment.
The Duke of York has posed an actual downside for the King and continues to take action. His price range have lengthy been wondered, together with how he offers the maintenance of Royal Hotel, his Windsor house.
Dominic Hampshire made really extensive makes an attempt to dam the discharge of those paperwork. Which all over again underscores how Prince Andrew’s previous nonetheless haunts him and his circle of relatives to these days.
In his witness commentary, Mr Hampshire mentioned that the duke “has all the time had a communique channel” with the Chinese language president, Xi Jinping, “in large part to reinforce the luck of Pitch@Palace in China, and this was once by no means hidden”.
Then again, he pushed aside the importance of the communications: “The content material of the letters was once a top-level ‘nothingness’ and a courtesy-type of letter. For instance, the duke sends a letter to the president for his birthday each and every yr.”
Learn extra from Sky Information:
Who’s Yang Tengbo?
Royal aide made a ‘mystifying’ choice
Andrew’s ‘crude try to enrich himself’
Blowing smoke and stroking his ego
He added: “As is incessantly the case in some communications, there was once important inventive license in ‘blowing smoke’ and stroking his [Yang’s] ego to take care of… reinforce of the duke.”
Yang was once recognized handiest as H6 till a pass judgement on lifted an anonymity order in December 2024. The Chinese language nationwide was once first excluded from the United Kingdom in 2023 after the House Place of business mentioned he was once regarded as to have engaged in “covert and misleading task” on behalf of the Chinese language Communist Celebration (CCP).
Yang has in the past mentioned that “the well-liked description of me as a ‘secret agent’ is fully unfaithful”.
In a separate commentary launched on Friday, Mr Hampshire mentioned: “The Palace was once saved knowledgeable of all my industrial endeavours on behalf of the Duke of York, and whole disclosure of all communications with Mr Yang, the Hampton Team and China was once presented to each Buckingham Palace and the intelligence products and services.
“Always I sought to give protection to the most efficient pursuits of the Royal Circle of relatives with integrity and loyalty.
“I’m now a non-public businessman and none of my trade pursuits are attached to any member of the Royal Circle of relatives.”
