Prince Andrew’s Chinese ‘spy’ ‘confidant’ is the final nail in his coffin – there’s no future for him here, expert warns
PRINCE Andrew’s Chinese “spy” scandal is the “final nail in the coffin” – there’s no future for him here, a royal expert has warned.
Yang Tengbo – who is understood to have been a “close confidante” of the Duke of York – lost an appeal against a decision to ban him from the UK on national security grounds before being unmasked.
It was concluded the 50-year-old had been dishonest about his links to the Chinese state and could exploit his relationship with the duke, 64, and other public figures.
He had been invited to Andrew’s birthday party in 2020 and reportedly supported him through his recent scandals.
It comes after the Sun reported last week a foreign agent knew how to sneak people in and out of the duke’s Royal Lodge home.
The shock revelation emerged in a letter from one of the duke’s top advisers, Dominic Hampshire, to the spy.
Royal author Phil Dampier told The Sun: “The fact that this guy obviously inveigled himself into Prince Andrew’s circle, and was seemingly in and out of Royal Lodge… is a worry for the security services.
“Who knows what [a spy] might stumble across? It is a very big scandal.”
However, he went on to say, with Yang having also been pictured with former Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May “all the blame” can’t be put at the duke’s doorstep.
“The Chinese have been doing this for years, and they’ve been infiltrating all sorts of echelons of British society,” Mr Dampier explained.
“Certainly the problem for Andrew is that on top of this scandal, he was involved with the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein – it’s not a very good look,” he said.
“It’s backfired on him dramatically and on top of the Epstein thing, it’s kind of a final nail in his coffin, really.”
Mr Dampier added that he believes King Charles will hold some sympathy for his brother, but will certainly find the Yang situation “embarrassing”.
However, he thinks it is still likely Prince William who is “one of the driving forces” behind pushing his uncle to the background for the sake of the Firm.
“William is a bit more hard-nosed about it,” Mr Dampier said.
“He thinks that the future of monarchy is down to him and Kate, and he’s got to concentrate on that.
“He’s already got all the problems of not being supported now by Harry and Meghan.
“I think he really sees it as holding the line until his children are a bit older, and they can start performing duties, and he just doesn’t see a role for Andrew.”
Asked where this leaves the duke after he decided not to attend his family’s Christmas at Sandringham, Mr Dampier said: “It’s very difficult.”
He said it’s unlikely a charity or the like would take him on to help “restore his reputation”, and apart from “going riding and playing golf all day”, there’s not much else for him to do in the UK.
Reports have suggested Andrew is contemplating a new life in the Middle East, which Mr Dampier said he could potentially see happening.
“He’s always had close ties and close friends who he knew when he was the UK trade ambassador, and to be honest, that wouldn’t surprise me.
“I think it might get to the point where, if he’s forced out of his home and he feels he’s got absolutely no future in the UK, he might well think about starting a new life somewhere else.
“There doesn’t seem to be much prospect of any future for him here… it might be the best bet for him.”
In relation to his association with Yang, a statement from Andrew’s office on Friday said: “The Duke ceased all contact after concerns were raised.
“He met through official channels with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed.”
Tengbo Yang's full statement
In a statement issued on his behalf, Mr Yang said he had done “nothing wrong or unlawful” and descriptions of him as an alleged spy were “entirely untrue”.
The statement said he had voluntarily waived his right to anonymity.
Mr Yang said: “Due to the high level of speculation and misreporting in the media and elsewhere, I have asked my legal team to disclose my identity.
“I have done nothing wrong or unlawful and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are ill-founded. The widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue.
“This is why I applied for a review of the Home Office decision in the first place, and why I am seeking permission to appeal the SIAC decision.
“It is also why an order extending my anonymity up to the point of determination of the appeal process was granted.
“I have been excluded from seeing most of the evidence that was used against me under a process which is widely acknowledged by SIAC practitioners as inherently unfair: decisions are made based on secret evidence and closed proceedings, which has been described as ‘taking blind shots at a hidden target’.
“On their own fact finding, even the three judges in this case concluded that there was ‘not an abundance of evidence’ against me, their decision was ‘finely balanced’, and there could be an ‘innocent explanation’ for my activities. This has not been reported in the media.
“The political climate has changed, and unfortunately, I have fallen victim to this.
“When relations are good, and Chinese investment is sought, I am welcome in the UK. When relations sour, an anti-China stance is taken, and I am excluded.
“I am an independent self-made entrepreneur and I have always aimed to foster partnerships and build bridges between East and West.
“I have dedicated my professional life in the UK to building links between British and Chinese businesses.
“My activities have played a part in bringing hundreds of millions of pounds of investment into the UK.
“I built my private life in the UK over two decades and love the country as my second home. I would never do anything to harm the interests of the UK.”
COUGH UP
Writing for the Sun on Sunday, Mr Dampier said earlier this week Andrew must reveal the source of the money that enables him to stay at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate.
The disgraced duke lost his annual £3million-a-year hand-out from brother Charles, which funded guards at his home.
We previously revealed the King axed the cash for Andrew, who does not work but has links to oligarchs.
And last month reported he has negotiated a cheaper protection deal at his leased home which he refuses to leave.
His plan is believed to be bankrolled by Middle East money.
Mr Dampier said it is reported the Privy Council approved the benefactor as legitimate but “if it came from Chinese sources, it is anything but”.
“The Duke of York would be wise to be totally transparent about his finances and tell us where he is getting the money from,” he continued.
“Otherwise speculation will continue to hover over him like a bad smell — unless he comes clean.”