Royal insiders fear Prince Andrew’s links to an alleged Chinese spy could overshadow the good work of King Charles and Prince William – but the monarch has come to two realisations, a source claims
King Charles is said to be furious that Prince Andrew has dragged the Royal Family into a big scandal – but he knows he cannot “divorce or sack” his little brother, it is claimed.
Prince Andrew’s relationship with an alleged Chinese spy has been another blow to the reputation of the British monarchy – but a source today reportedly claims Charles has been forced to accept two home truths.
A royal insider has this weekend told the Daily Mail that King Charles III has accepted he cannot “divorce or sack” his younger brother, because “there will always be a bond of blood”.
The source told the paper: “The Palace has behaved the best it possibly can with a difficult relation. Every sanction that can be imposed has been, but you can’t divorce or sack your brother from being your brother.
“There will always be a bond of blood and all families often have difficult relatives to deal with. Of course it is understood that it looks bad for the entire family but that is because of one individual.”
This week, it emerged that a suspected Chinese spy who has now been barred from the UK after being deemed a threat to national security had become friendly with the Duke of York, who accepted the suspect as his “confidante”. The monarch was briefed by British intelligence over the major security breach – the latest scandal involving Andrew’s shady contacts following his association with multi-millionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein .
A source told The Mirror the King is “very aware of what has been and what is being done about it.” However, another source admitted that the monarch is “truly exasperated by the ongoing situation with his brother.”
Andrew’s latest nightmare was exposed after an alleged Chinese spy lost his appeal this week against being barred from the UK. The man, known only as H6, brought the case after being banned in March 2023 on national security grounds despite having become a close contact of the Duke of York.
Judges heard H6 formed a close working relationship with Prince Andrew, receiving an invite to his birthday party in 2020 and being told he could act on his behalf. But now it appears the UK’s MI5 domestic intelligence agency suspects the Prince’s Chinese confidante may have become a “gateway” agent used to forge a path into Andrew’s network. British intelligence officials briefed the King’s most senior aides who held an emergency meeting with the monarch over the severity of the situation.
King Charles cannot abandon his younger brother (
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Getty Images)
Once a “gateway” is established, that person would then be able to introduce Chinese intelligence officers into the network being targeted, in this case Prince Andrew and his associates. It is believed the Prince was targeted because Chinese intelligence suspected he was vulnerable over his costly association with Epstein.
It is understood that Royal insiders fear the new controversy could overshadow the good work of the King, and Prince William. And it comes under a fortnight before the King is due to deliver his Christmas message.
Earlier in 2024 King Charles stopped the £3million annual security bill for his brother at Royal Lodge, and was thought to be asking him to move into less lavish accommodation. But the Duke of York was allowed to stay when, it is reported, he secured funds from an anonymous source.
Counter intelligence officers at MI5 are investigating how deeply H6 could have penetrated the royals’ network of contacts and who else could have been targeted by China. The suspect is believed to have worked for the United Front Work Department (UFWD), an arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) which launches “influence operations.”
China’s president Xi Jinping sits alongside the Duke of York at a banquet at the Guildhall in London on the second day of his state visit (
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One security source told The Mirror: “The access this person would have had could have produced what China would view as a goldmine of information. Intelligence reporting on the Prince himself would have been of interest, perhaps producing telephone numbers, addresses, dates of forthcoming events and facts regarding his business and financial vulnerabilities.
“But crucially it would be about access to who he knows. In certain settings the Prince and his associates would have let their guard down lower than usual and this would have provided crucial access to powerful people. This means political and commercial targets of very high value may have been identified over a period of time and noted for future operations.
“And this person may have been able physically to get more people into the network, bringing in more intelligence officers to do more serious spying.”
H6 brought his case to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, set up to consider appeals against bans from the country on national security or related grounds.
But the judge said that the then-home secretary, Suella Braverman , was “entitled to conclude H6 represented a risk to UK national security and that she was entitled to conclude that his exclusion was justified and proportionate.” The hearing found H6 surrendered a number of electronic devices, including a mobile phone, after being stopped by UK border security in November 2021.
On one of his electronic devices, a letter said: “Outside of closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on.” It added: “Under your guidance, we found a way to get the relevant people unnoticed in and out of the house in Windsor.”
A document listing “main talking points” for a call with Prince Andrew was also found. It states: “IMPORTANT: Manage expectations. Really important to not set ‘too high’ expectations – he is in a desperate situation and will grab onto anything.”
Outrage over Andrew’s links to billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein saw him step away from royal duties in 2019.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Duke of York listen to speeches during a visit to Imperial College London, on day two of the state visit (
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Last month, Gary spoke to the Mirror about his family, including suggesting that Daniel and his siblings likely wouldn’t follow in their father’s footsteps by becoming musicians. He said: “The two oldest ones [Daniel and Emily] have kind of gone into medicine and physiology – studying strength and conditioning – and my youngest one, Daisy, I’m not too sure what she’s heading for but again, she’s very studious… unlike me and my wife.”
