The reputation of Prince Andrew “ irresistible '' after the interview with Newsnight, explains Royal Help | British news

Prince Andrew's reputation was “irreparable” following his interview with Newsnight, according to his main assistant.

A declaration of witness of Dominic Hampshire also reveals that he was informed by the intelligence services that they had “real concerns” about the alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo and his “influence on the Duke of York“.

The court documents, released on Friday, were used in a case linked to Yang, which was excluded from the United Kingdom for national security reasons in March 2023. denies any reprehensible act.

Mr. Hampshire, who worked with the Duke of York to leave the royal house in 2022, provided evidence to the Special Immigration Call Commission (SIAC).

Its evidence was initially kept private, but the commission published it on Friday after calls by press organizations.

Here are some of the key points of his evidence:

• Mr. Hampshire had two meetings with Prince Andrew and the King to discuss a fund linked to Yang Tengbo.

• Prince Andrew “has always had a communication chain” with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.

• Intelligence services had “real concerns” about Yang and its “influence on the Duke of York”.

• Mr. Hampshire used an “important artistic license” with Yang to caress his ego.

• Yang “categorically has no close relationship with the Duke”.

Some of the evidence concerned the disastrous interview of the Prince's BBC on Jeffrey Epstein.

Hampshire said: “After Newsnight's interview and in the following months, it was clear that the Duke's reputation was irreparable.

“It was a common feeling in the royal house, despite what the Duke thought of happening.

“It was very clear internally in the royal house that we had to examine the options for the future of the Duke far from royal duties.”

Mr. Hampshire added that, while he appreciated the “loyalty and support of Yang to stand near the Duke when all the others deserted him”, Yang – called Chris – “categorically has not a close relationship with the Duke”.

The judges prohibited Yang from the United Kingdom, saying that the businessman was a “close confidant” of Prince Andrew and was a threat to national security.

Yang undoubtedly challenged this decision.

The documents show that Mr. Hampshire had two meetings with the Duke of York and the king during which a fund known as Eurasia funds was discussed.

This fund is linked to Yang.

King met Andrew's help

Buckingham Palace published a statement on Friday to confirm the scope of these meetings: “While His Majesty met the Duke and his advisor [Dominic Hampshire] To hear independent financing proposals in the past year, the individual known as H6 [Yang] was not mentioned at any time or in any way in the context of these discussions. “”

In his declaration of witness, Mr. Hampshire said that the Duke “had always had a communication chain” with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, “largely to support the success of Pitch @ palace in China, and this has never been hidden”.

However, he rejected the importance of communications: “The content of the letters was a high -level” nothingness “and a type of letter of courtesy. For example, the Duke sends a letter to the president for his birthday each year.”

Find out more Sky News:
Who is Yang Tengbo?
Royal Help made a “mystifying” decision
Andrew's “raw attempt to get rich”

Blow smoke and caress your ego

He added: “As is regularly the case in certain communications, there was an important artistic license in” Blowing Smoke “and caressing his [Yang’s] Ego to maintain … the support of the Duke. “”

Yang was known only as H6 to a The judge raised an anonymity order In December 2024. The Chinese national was excluded for the first time in the United Kingdom in 2023 after the Ministry of the Interior said that he was considered to be committed to “a secret and misleading activity” on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (PCC).

Yang previously said that “the general description of me as a” spy “is entirely false”.

In a separate declaration published on Friday, Hampshire said: “The palace was held informed of all my commercial efforts on behalf of the Duke of York, and a complete disclosure of all communications with Mr. Yang, the Hampton group and China were offered both to Buckingham Palace and to the intelligence services.

“At all times, I tried to protect the best interests of the royal family with integrity and loyalty.

“I am now a private businessman and none of my commercial interests are linked to a member of the royal family.”