Buckingham Palace Makes Rare Statement on Prince Andrew After King Charles Is Pulled into Chinese Spy Saga

Buckingham Palace released a rare statement surrounding Prince Andrew.

Following a written testimony by Dominic Hampshire, a former senior aide to the Duke of York, the palace issued a clarification on private meetings between Hampshire, Andrew and his older brother, King Charles.

Hampshire’s testimony, given to an employment tribunal, alleged that the brothers discussed the Eurasia Fund, a project of Prince Andrew’s that aimed at linking Chinese funding with renewable energy projects in Africa.

Prince Andrew and the Eurasia Fund have recently come under scrutiny for ties to an alleged Chinese spy. Yang Tengbo — previously known only by his codename, “H6” — was said to be a close confidant of Andrew’s before being barred from entering the U.K. in December 2024 over concerns of national security.

Of Prince Andrew’s recent meetings with the King, the palace said, “While His Majesty met with the Duke and his adviser to hear outline proposals for independent funding over the past year, the individual known as H6 was not mentioned at any time or in any way as part of these discussions.”

The Duke skipped King Charles’ traditional Christmas luncheon as well as the royal family’s Christmas gathering at Sandringham last year following the news of the scandal.

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward told PEOPLE at the time that Prince Andrew would have talked through the matter with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, as well as his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who have all been protective and loyal to him throughout years of public scrutiny.

“Despite [the Duchess’] missteps in the past, she does know how things will play out socially. She would tell him it’s best to stay away. And Beatrice would have backed her up in that,” Seward said.

Projects like the Eurasia Fund have become part of Prince Andrew’s professional life since he stepped back from public duties as a working royal following his highly criticized 2019 Newsnight interview about his alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.

His mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, stripped him of military titles and patronages amid Virginia Guiffre’s civil sexual assault lawsuit — which was settled out of court — but it was King Charles who ultimately cut his brother off financially.

Royal author Robert Hardman wrote in his book Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story that Prince Andrew did not accept a 2024 proposal from his elder brother to relocate from the Royal Lodge in Windsor to the “considerably smaller property” of Frogmore Cottage.

Prince Andrew has resided at the Royal Lodge since 2003 and has spent considerate time and money renovating the 31-room estate with the Duchess of York, who remains close with her ex despite the fact that they divorced in 1996.

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After Prince Andrew rejected his offer, King Charles cut off his $1.3 million annual personal allowance and also stopped paying for his personal security. However, Andrew was determined to stay.