Britain’s Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, departs after the Coronation of Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023. This week he said he won’t attend royal family Christmas celebrations this year following accusations of a close relationship with an alleged Chinese spy who is banned from entering the United Kingdom. File Photo by Andy Rain/EPA-EFE
Dec. 19 (UPI) — Prince Andrew‘s former ties to a suspected Chinese spy prompted him to stay away from Thursday’s traditional royal family pre-Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace.
Prince Andrew also is the Duke of York and has agreed to “honorably withdraw” from the royal family’s holiday events this year, the BBC reported.
His attendance at a family holiday event likely would have drawn undue attention to him and overshadow the event. He also has said he won’t attend the royal family’s Christmas day celebration in Norfolk.
Andrew is the younger brother of King Charles III, and Andrew’s ex-wife, the Duchess of York, helped convince him to stay at his home in Windsor for Christmas, according to the news report.
The decision was made after U.K. officials banned an alleged Chinese spy named Yang Tengbo, aka Chris Yang, from entering the United Kingdom.
Tengbo is a Chinese businessman and has denied being a spy for the Chinese Communist Party or engaging in wrongdoing.
Tengbo appealed the decision to ban him from the United Kingdom for national security reasons, but the British High Court upheld the ban.
Court filings indicate Tengo in documents described Prince Andrews as being in a “desperate situation” and would “grab on to anything” to get out of it.
Prince Andrew had a “close friendship” with Tengbo, the Independent reported.
The Chinese Embassy in London on Tuesday accused the British government of engaging in “anti-China manipulation and clamors” in the matter.
Andrew has said he never discussed anything of a sensitive nature with Tengo, but his relationship with an alleged Chinese spy raised doubts about his judgment regarding international contacts.
Prince Andrew no longer is on the royal family’s payroll, but British intelligence agencies were concerned Tengbo was trying to gain influence over a member of the royal family.
Prince Andrew placed an “unusual degree of trust” in Tengbo, invited him to attend his 60th birthday party in 2020 and was preparing to enter into a business relationship with the Chinese national, the British High Court said when upholding the ban on Tengbo’s entry into the United Kingdom.
Prince Andrew’s office said he ended all contact with Tengbo after concerns were raised in 2023 regarding his efforts seek connections with U.K. politicians and other prominent figures.