Prince Andrew thinks he is a man of the world and a sophisticated businessman. He isn’t. He is a dupe who is easy prey for genuinely wily operators such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or Jeffrey Epstein.
The ageing prince, also known as the Duke of York, has become, quite literally, a constitutional waste of space.
Andrew’s latest scrape is as alarming as it would have been unbelievable – had documentation of correspondence not found its way to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.
The court heard that in February last year, a British-educated 50-year-old man, believed to be a Chinese spy, was taken off an inbound flight from Beijing under counter-terrorism laws and banned from entering the UK.
He is believed to have obscured his links to the CCP’s United Front Work Department, involved with intelligence gathering and influence peddling.
Correspondence downloaded from the phone of the alleged spy revealed that Queen Elizabeth II’s second son, Andrew, was a close confidant and prime target.
Andrew was cancelled as a “working royal” years ago, following his friendship with the American paedophile Epstein and a disastrous Newsnight interview in which he attempted to explain it away.
Upholding the exclusion order on the Chinese operative, the judges said “the Duke was under considerable pressure” at the time that their relationship of trust was built, and “it is obvious that the pressures on the Duke could make him vulnerable to the misuse of that sort of influence”.
It was a flattering description of the Prince, who has seemingly enjoyed every advantage in life. A document on the phone headed “main talking points” makes it clear that the spy was deliberately zeroing in on the weakest and most gullible member of the Royal Family.
“He is in a ‘desperate’ situation and will grab on to anything”, the memo notes, while warning that it is not worth expending too much on the new asset: “Important: Manage expectations. Really important not to set ‘too high expectations’,”. The words “High Expectations” could be the title of an Andrew biography.
MI5 warns that China is “mounting patient, well-funded, deceptive campaigns to buy and exert influence”. There have been several cases of Chinese “political interference” at the Houses of Parliament, including an alert notice issued concerning the lawyer and lobbyist Christine Lee.
The former head of MI6, Sir Alex Younger, believes attempts at infiltration are “an intrinsic part of the way in which China seeks to protect its power”.
It is obvious what Andrew got out of his relationship with the Chinese. Five-star flattery which he considers his due. Meetings with President Xi Jinping. Banquets with the Chinese ambassador. Money.
It is harder to tell what was in it for the Chinese. Commercially, Andrew has been a promoter of UK-Chinese investment in both directions. But according to officials delegated to assist him, he vastly overestimated his capabilities 20 years ago when Tony Blair made him an official trade envoy.
Proximity to the Duke appears to be the main prize, according to a letter from Dominick Hampshire, an aide to Andrew, who told the alleged spy: “You sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on.”
Operation Andrew seems to be mostly a mere demonstration of power, showing that they know how to locate the soft underbelly of the British establishment and how to manipulate it. This is satisfying for them whether in the shadows or in the full glare of publicity.
We are only learning about this latest embarrassment for Andrew because his Chinese friend chose to appeal against his exclusion in a British court. As with Russian meddling, relationships of influence forged covertly are just as effective when they are exposed. They generate public distrust and disrespect for the ruling classes.
Andrew is a victim of his family circumstances but few will feel sorry for him. Through greed, vanity and indolence he has turned what could have been a role evoking sympathy and vestigial respect, akin to that occupied by the Princess Royal, into repeated public disgrace.
After Epstein it was difficult to see how he could sink lower. Consorting with an alleged Chinese agent judged to be a threat to national security answers that question.
Adam Boulton presents Sunday Morning on Times Radio
