Why would China target non-working royal Prince Andrew?
With or without his royal workload, Andrew is still a very well-connected man who moves in the highest of circles of the British establishment, ITV News' Royal Editor Chris Ship explains
A story about a Chinese spy potentially having access to the highest levels of British society is much more important than who does or does not turn up for Christmas at Sandringham.
If an alleged agent of China’s United Front Work Department (UFWD), which is tasked with furthering the aims of the Chinese Communist Party, was mingling with Prince Andrew regularly – then all sorts of questions need to be raised – and are likely to be raised by MPs today.
Granted, Andrew is no longer a working member of the Royal Family, after engineering his own downfall with his infamous Newsnight interview about Jeffrey Epstein. But the Chinese would not have targeted him, had they thought he was of zero value.
He might not work for the Royal Family, nor be in receipt of funding from his brother, the King, but we’ve seen the Duke of York at a number of key royal events in recent years.
There was the Christmas family church service at Sandringham last year, the memorial service for the King of Greece in February, the Royals’ Easter church service in Windsor and the annual gathering of the Order of the Garter – the highest order of chivalry in the country.
Prince Andrew was barred from being seen on camera at Garter Day this year, but he did still attend the private lunch and was therefore mingling with former Prime Ministers, former heads of British intelligence and former defence chiefs – all of whom are members of the order.
In other words, with or without his royal workload, Andrew is still a very well-connected man and he still moves in the highest of circles of the British establishment.
So, what would China have hoped to gain, if indeed they did target Prince Andrew in the way it is alleged?
The answer lies in the court papers at the heart of this story - the papers which were released last week from the Chinese businessman’s appeal against his exclusion from the UK.
The Home Office case included arguments that the UFWD, the organisation for which Prince Andrew’s confidant is alleged to have worked, uses covert tactics which include “co-opting and manipulating elite individuals".
The court documents quote a recent study on Chinese espionage by the defence think tank RUSI (Royal United Services Institute), which said “a major tool of interference is to create dependency on Chinese funding”.
It spoke about the tactic of ‘elite capture’ which involved appointing former politicians, civil servants, businessmen, or high-profile academics and think tank personnel “who retain influence in their home countries".
“Often paid very generously for their advice, they risk becoming more amenable to CCP [Chinese Communist Party] aims," it said.
The Home Office’s lawyer even claimed the Duke of York was himself thinking about “the creation of a think tank".
Putting all these claims together suggests why some MPs are alarmed about the close contact the alleged spy had with Prince Andrew.
After the King severed private funding payments to Andrew as well as his taxpayer-funded security, the prince still needed to find a source of income to pay the costs of living at, and securing, his home at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate.
The King would like his brother to move out of the house and relocate somewhere cheaper and easier to secure – but so far, Prince Andrew has refused to budge.
Prince Andrew’s office says he “met the individual through official channels” and “ceased all contact” with the alleged spy “after concerns were raised” with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed”.
However, it would be safe to assume that King Charles is – not for the first time in his life – having to consider what to do about his younger brother when it comes to his public appearances alongside other members of the Royal Family.
Whether or not Prince Andrew turns up for the 11am church service on Christmas Day, does therefore become an issue.
Because if he does, it risks overshadowing the Monarch’s annual Christmas message – broadcast as usual at 3pm on December 25.
Given the King is still undergoing cancer treatment, that is not how he’d want to end the year, after what has already been a difficult and challenging 2024.
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