2024-12-16 09:46:00
Already marginalized within the royal family for his closeness to the late financier and sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew, brother of Charles III, is at the center of a new embarrassing scandal for his links with a man suspected of spying for the China.
The Duke of York, 64, long described as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite son, has been in British media headlines for three days, with the Sunday Times calling him “the worst distraction” for King Charles III.
A London court on Thursday upheld the ban on entry into the territory of a Chinese citizen, suspected of being involved in “secret and deceptive activities” on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.
Described as a “confidant” of Andrea, this 50-year-old man, identified only as “H6”, had been authorized to act on the prince’s behalf with potential Chinese investors, and was even invited to his birthday party in 2020.
The judges said the prince’s situation made him “vulnerable”, raising questions about his role as a non-working member of the royal family.
This affair fuels British authorities’ concerns about the extent of Beijing’s activism, which London regularly accuses of espionage. Especially since the Sunday Times published old photographs showing “H6” alongside former prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May.
Far-right party leader Nigel Farage has threatened to reveal his identity in the House of Commons, thanks to the privilege granted to MPs.
But above all, these revelations have tarnished the image of Prince Andrew a little more, who “continues to fall from grace” since he was splashed by the scandal of the Epstein case, who died in 2019, according to The Guardian newspaper .
The prince was accused of forced sex by an American woman in 2001 when he was a minor, “on loan” from Jeffrey Epstein. He has always denied the accusations and reached a financial settlement in 2022 to avoid a sensational trial.
A BBC interview in 2019 to defend himself turned into a disaster. Appearing arrogant and lacking in compassion, he had not expressed a single regret about his friendship with Epstein.
He has not appeared in public since and is the least liked member of the royal family, with 6% favorable opinions.
In early 2022, the Queen withdrew his military titles and charitable sponsorships, a further humiliation for this former helicopter pilot, long held up as a hero of the Falklands War (1982).
– Conquests and dubious relationships –
A few months later, he was deprived of his balcony for the 70-year jubilee of Elizabeth II’s reign, and in May 2023 he was relegated to the third row in Westminster Abbey for the coronation of Charles III.
Since then the sovereign has revoked his role as “state advisor” which gave him the right to replace him in the event of absence or illness. And he suspended the allowance paid to Andrew, which the prince used in particular to maintain his vast residence near Windsor Castle, according to the latest work of the famous biographer of the royal family, Robert Hardman.
Born on February 19, 1960 in Buckingham Palace, Prince Andrew is the third of the four children of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. As a young man, Andrew multiplied his conquests, before marrying the extravagant Sarah Ferguson in 1986.
The couple had two daughters, Princesses Beatrice (1988) and Eugenie (1990), but divorced in 1996.
Prince Andrew then stands out alongside scantily clad women on holiday in Thailand, or at a “prostitutes and pimps” evening in the US with Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite found guilty of child sex trafficking for the benefit of Epstein.
After 22 years in the Navy, he served as the UK’s special representative for international trade from 2001 to 2011, but was criticized for his excessive spending at taxpayers’ expense and for his dealings with dictator families, including that of the Libyan Muammar Gaddafi.
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