An alleged Chinese spy, known only as H6, who formed an “unusual degree of trust” with the Duke of York, has been banned from the UK following a judgement by the UK’s semi-secret national security court.
Described as a “close confidant” to Prince Andrew, H6 appealed against his initial ban, but the court upheld the decision. Judges were informed that the businessman was attempting to leverage Prince Andrew’s influence.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment, stating they do not act for the prince, who is not a working royal. In March 2023, H6 brought his case to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, a court established to consider appeals against decisions to ban or remove individuals from the country on national security grounds.
In the published ruling, the judge stated that the then-home secretary, Suella Braverman, was “entitled to conclude that [H6] represented a risk to the national security of the United Kingdom, and that she was entitled to conclude that his exclusion was justified and proportionate.”
The ruling highlighted that H6 had been subjected to the highest levels of national security investigation, as the UK’s intelligence agencies feared he was seeking influence over a member of the Royal Family.
The court heard that H6 was invited to Prince Andrew’s birthday party in 2020 and was told he could act on the prince’s behalf when dealing with potential investors in China. It remains unclear how H6 became close to the prince, but in November 2021, police officers stopped and questioned him at the UK border under powers to investigate suspicions of “hostile activity” by a foreign state.
During the stop, H6 surrendered several electronic devices, including a mobile phone. What officers found on these devices so concerned the security service MI5 that Braverman used her exceptional powers to ban H6 from the country.
