By New York Post (World News) | Created at 2024-12-18 16:00:06 | Updated at 2024-12-18 18:59:10
2 hours ago
Scandal-prone Prince Andrew strikes again.
A Chinese businessman has been barred from the U.K. because of concerns he cultivated links with the disgraced Duke of York in an alleged effort to influence British elites on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. The man, identified Monday as Yang Tengbo, said he wasn’t involved in espionage and had “done nothing wrong or unlawful.”
Following the scandal, it was reported that Andrew, along with his family, would not join the royals for Christmas at Sandringham.
“It has been the year from hell for King Charles as he battles ill health,” British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital.
She noted that Christmas was supposed to be a time of reflection for the monarch, 76, but it has been “overshadowed by yet another Andrew problem.”
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace told Fox News Digital, “We do not speak for the Duke of York.” A spokesperson for Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
“Prince Andrew has brought shame on the royal family, which is exasperating for his brother the king, who is thought to view his brother as ‘at best gullible, at worst grubby,’” British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital.
“Prince Andrew’s unsavory associations are extremely disconcerting to the king,” Fordwich shared. “There are those who advocate that, in addition to losing all his military honorary titles, the king’s feckless brother should lose the Order of the Garter if it is proven he has been involved in activities which have resulted in breaches of British National Security.”
Andrew, 64, has been a constant source of tabloid fodder because of his money woes and links to questionable characters, including the late American financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Before she died in 2022, Queen Elizabeth II stripped Andrew of his royal duties and charity roles. More recently, Charles has tried to persuade his brother to cut his expenses by leaving his sprawling royal estate and moving to the smaller Frogmore Cottage, which is located inside the security perimeter of Windsor Castle. But Andrew remains ensconced at the 30-room Royal Lodge.
“I feel that the king is deeply frustrated with his brother,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital, noting that Andrew is “pure poison to those who want the monarchy to be taken seriously.”
“Attention has now shifted to the lunch given by Charles for his extended family which takes place at Buckingham Palace on Thursday,” said Fitzwilliams. “If Andrew is pictured entering the headquarters of the monarchy, it would be outrageous and would overshadow the occasion.”
Andrew said that nothing sensitive was ever discussed and that he ceased contact with the Chinese businessman as soon as concerns were raised. However, many in the U.K. feel the king needs to take a more aggressive approach to stop Andrew from further embroiling himself in scandal.
“Prince Andrew’s continuous blunders are a constant embarrassment to the king,” Chard explained. “The monarchy is beginning to suffer the negative impact.”
“It’s too late to prevent the Prince Andrew crisis, but King Charles recognizes the need to move into crisis management,” said Chard. “Prince Andrew may not be a working royal but he is still part of the family. As such, older brother King Charles must ensure Prince Andrew is not seen with the royal family in public.”
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner claimed to Fox News Digital that Andrew has been attempting to keep a low profile as the Chinese spy scandal continues to make headlines.
“In some quarters, it is said that Andrew is finished, but King Charles is renowned for not always being capable of making hard decisions about his younger brother,” said Pelham Turner. “Andrew’s nephew, Prince William, may take a much harder line with any more indiscretions.”
After 22 years in the Royal Navy, including combat operations as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War, Andrew was named Britain’s special representative for international trade and investment in 2001.
However, he was forced to step down amid growing concern about his friendship with Epstein, who had been sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Andrew had also been criticized for meeting with the son of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and the son-in-law of ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Even before that, some members of Parliament had raised concerns about the sale of Andrew’s former home, Sunninghill Park, to a son-in-law of former Kazakh ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2007.
Despite Andrew’s ongoing royal hiccups, Kinsey Schofield, host of the To Di For Daily podcast, told Fox News Digital that the king won’t forget the reported promise he made to his mother.
“Queen Elizabeth spent the last few years of her life devastated over the chaos surrounding not only Prince Harry and Meghan Markle but Prince Andrew,” she claimed. “I am confident that King Charles promised his mother that he would do everything in his power to take care of his brother, no matter what the circumstances are. The king has made it a point not to humiliate Andrew throughout the Royal Lodge drama.”
“There are rumors that the king secretly continues to finance certain aspects of Prince Andrew’s life,” said Schofield. “Last Christmas, Charles went out of his way to show solidarity by including the Yorks in their Christmas festivities. The Chinese spy saga is not the way the monarchy wants to end, to quote Prince William, a ‘brutal’ year. They want to end things on a high note and inspire a hopeful transition into 2025.”
“I think this story proves that Prince Andrew does not have the best judgment and continues to be a liability [not only] to the monarchy, but now potentially to the government,” Schofield continued.
“Under extreme circumstances, Prince Andrew’s title as the Duke of York could be removed by an act of Parliament… As far as the palace is concerned, they should maintain transparency with the public, reaffirming that the monarchy values accountability and integrity.”
In 2019, Andrew announced he was stepping away from royal duties “for the foreseeable future.” In his statement, he called his association with Epstein “a major disruption to my family’s work.”
In 2021, one of Epstein’s victims alleged that the prince had sex with her when she was underage. Andrew denied the allegations but ultimately settled the case for an undisclosed sum.
A statement indicated that Andrew would make a “substantial donation” to a victims’ rights charity. British newspapers reported amounts for the settlement ranged from $6 million to $16 million.
It’s still unclear how the king will address his newest Andrew problem. But the solution is simple, said Chard.
“The whole family recognizes that Andrew needs to be hidden away,” she said. “A can of worms has been opened, and I imagine the worry is further scandals could be unearthed. The public is calling for more transparency and… Simplicity is the way forward.”
“Prince Andrew needs a life coach to help him get back on track,” she shared. “It will do him the world of good and help his and his family’s reputation to be seen doing good in the world. You never know, the Prince Andrew controversies may whittle down to nothing more than a storm in a teacup.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
