Prince Andrew drawn into espionage allegations as Chinese spy link surfaces; What's next for him?
The Alleged Spy’s Activities
H6, a 50-year-old businessman, moved to the UK in 2002 after working as a junior civil servant in China. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Public Policy from the University of York and founded a company in 2005, which remains unnamed due to legal reasons. His close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were revealed during a court hearing, with the Home Department accusing H6 of downplaying his connections to the CCP's United Front Work Department (UFWD), which is tasked with spreading Chinese influence globally.
In his communications, H6 referred to himself as an overseas representative of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a body that serves as an advisory group to the CCP. He also claimed that for a Chinese businessman, it was almost impossible to avoid ties to the CCP.
Relationship with Prince Andrew
The case gained further attention due to H6’s relationship with Prince Andrew, which involved business dealings that could have potentially been leveraged for political interference. In a judgment released by the UK courts, it was revealed that Dominic Hampshire, a senior aide to the Duke of York, had authorised H6 to represent Prince Andrew in engagements with Chinese investors. A letter dated March 2020 from Hampshire to H6 remarked: «Outside of his (Andrew’s) closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on.»
The ruling detailed that Prince Andrew had allowed H6 to attend
