Prince Andrew pictured meeting Chinese 'spy' now banned from UK

Documents obtained from alleged Chinese spy H6's phone and seen in a secret hearing suggested Prince Andrew was "in a desperate situation and will grab onto anything"

Prince Andrew has been pictured in a meeting with an alleged Chinese spy who is now banned from entering the UK.

The Duke of York, 64, was depicted with the spy, a former civil servant now known only as H6, at an undisclosed event, with the picture showing the figure's face blurred out due to an anonymity order. But the two's appearance together has raised questions, with H6 having been the subject of a ban on national security grounds.

Before allegedly becoming a spy, H6 had served as a junior civil servant in China, and had become a "close confidant of the Duke", according to judges overseeing a secret hearing. The two were reportedly close enough that the figure was said to have been authorised to act on the Prince's behalf while interfacing with potential investors in China.

H6 was banned from the UK by then Home Secretary Suella Braverman in July 2023 after MI5 deemed him an agent who engaged in "covert and deceptive activity" and worked on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). His links with the Prince have been deemed "extremely embarrassing" by former security minister Tom Tugendhat, with officials ruling the royal could have been "vulnerable" to the alleged agent's influence.

A 53-page ruling published by Mr Justice Bourne, Judge Stephen Smith and Sir Stewart Eldon on Thursday following the secret hearing found that Ms Braverman was "justified" to exclude H6, and included passages from a letter written by Dominic Hampshire, one of the Duke's senior advisers, stating H6 was authorised to act on behalf of the royal at engagements.

In another letter, Mr Hampshire adds: “I also hope that it is clear to you where you sit with my principal and indeed his family. You should never underestimate the strength of that relationship… outside of (the Duke’s) closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on.”

A separate document listing "main talking points" to consider during a call with the Duke was also discovered on the phone, including advice to "manage expectations". The document also notes that the royal is "in a desperate situation and will grab onto anything". While describing the situation as not quite as "black and white" as it appears, Mr Tugendhat, who worked as a minister under Rishi Sunak, said it was "certainly extremely embarrassing".

He added during an interview with BBC Radio Four's Today programme: "It demonstrates, I’m afraid, that the Chinese state is extremely clear that what its ambition is is to secure influence over foreign countries."