LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 14: Prince Andrew, Duke of York walks behind the coffin during the ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on September 14, 2022 in London, United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II's coffin is taken in procession on a Gun Carriage of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall where she will lay in state until the early morning of her funeral. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. (Photo by Martin Meissner - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The Duke of York will not join the Royal Family for their annual Christmas gathering in Sandringham as controversy rages over his alleged links to a Chinese spy.
It is expected that Prince Andrew, 64, will steer clear of Christmas events with the rest of the Royals to avoid being a distraction.
The efforts to keep Andrew under the radar come after an alleged Chinese spy connected to the prince was named following a High Court judgment.
Yang Tengbo, also known as Chris Yang, was banned from entering the U.K.
The alleged agent was so close to Andrew that he reportedly visited Buckingham Palace twice and entered St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle. He was even approved to act on Andrew’s behalf to seek investors in China.
He was also told in a letter by one of Prince Andrew’s advisers: “Under your guidance, we found a way to get the relevant people unnoticed in and out of the house in Windsor.”
It was discovered that Yang, 50, was a member of the Chinese Communist Party and was working for its United Front Work Department, which the U.K. government says gathers intelligence.
Previously, the Chinese businessman was known in court documents and news stories as “H6,” but a judge ruled on Monday that he could be named.
Last week, the U.K.’s semi-secret national security court upheld a 2023 ban on Yang entering the country.
While Yang had gone to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) to appeal against the decision, it was decided that the ban should remain under suspicion that he had been involved in “elite capture,” a Chinese tactic used to exert influence in Western nations by wooing a notable figure.
In a statement on Monday, Yang denied being a spy and said he had “done nothing wrong or unlawful.”
Andrew has been in an ongoing battle with his brother, King Charles, who tried to evict him from his $38 million estate and cut off his royal allowance. Last month, Andrew mysteriously came up with the funding to stay in the home, sparking speculation about possible foreign influence.
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