Prince Andrew has been hit by a double blow after two new court filings heaped further pressure on his relationship with .

The first appeared to show him telling “we’ll play some more soon!!!!” in an email sent after he claims to have cut ties with the New York financier.

And in the second it emerged was hoping to raise billions of dollars in China in part using his relationship with Yang Tengbo, who British intelligence officers now believe is a Chinese spy.

Why It Matters

Prince Andrew has become comfortably Britain’s least popular royal, creating significant pressure on Charles to disown him.

The king has stopped financially supporting his brother, however, there have still been times when Andrew has been seen chatting warmly with royal family members on his way in or out of church.

That creates the risk that British people continue to perceive Prince Andrew’s now multitudinous scandals as having an impact not only on his own reputation, but also that of the monarchy as a whole.

Prince Andrew’s Promise to ‘Play’ With Epstein Soon

Andrew told the in November 2019 how he flew to U.S. because he wanted to break off his friendship with the disgraced financier Epstein in person.

It was his explanation for his decision to stay overnight in December 2010 with Epstein, who had been released after a conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution. They were photographed walking through Central Park at the time, with the images published in both British and U.S. tabloids.

“I went to see him,” Andrew told the BBC, “and I was doing a number of other things in New York at the time and we had an opportunity to go for a walk in the park and that was the conversation coincidentally that was photographed.

“Which was when I said to him, I said, ‘Look, because of what has happened, I don’t think it is appropriate that we should remain in contact.’

“And by mutual agreement during that walk in the park we decided that we would part company and I left, I think it was the next day, and to this day I never had any contact with him from that day forward.”

A filing by Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority, quoted by Sky News, tells a different story, however, as it quotes an email from a royal, reportedly Andrew, which was sent to Epstein two months later on February, 27, 2011: “Keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”

Prince Andrew’s Spy Scandal

Last year it emerged Andrew had become a close confidante of Yang Tengbo, who was kicked out of Britain after the Government judged him to be a Chinese spy. Yang strongly denies the allegation, while the prince says he cut off all contact after being alerted to the risk.

Now, it has emerged the British Home Office considered the relationship as posing a “risk to national security.”

The assessment was among hundreds of pages of filings released by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission outlining just how deep the concerns ran.

Yang also had documents suggesting Andrew hoped to raise $3 billion of international financing for a fund to “break unproductive technological and talent blockades against China,” according to a report in U.K. broadsheet The Times.

And it has been reported that $2 billion was going to be raised in China.

Andrew’s senior aide Dominic Hampshire was in contact with Yang “directly or indirectly on an almost daily basis for what is now just over five months,” according to a letter sent between the pair on March 30, 2020.

“It is assessed that Hampshire’s depiction of his interactions with Yang highlights the clandestine nature of the relationship between the two, and by extension, between Prince Andrew and Yang,” according to a national security assessment quoted by the newspaper.

British spies were particularly concerned by Yang’s failure to make clear his connection to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and United Front Work Department (UFWD).

“It is acknowledged that there being communication channels between China and the royal family is not, in and of itself, a threat to national security,” the national security assessment read.

“When, however, those channels have been facilitated by someone who is not fully and consistently transparent about his links to the UFWD and the CCP, then this poses a risk to national security.”

Andrew’s office said in December: “The duke met the individual through official channels, with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed. He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.”

And Yang denied being a Chinese Spy: “The allegations against me are entirely unfounded, I have done nothing wrong and I am seeking permission to appeal the decision reached by the SIAC. The UK’s position on its dealings with China is inconsistent and erratic.”

Analysis

The two sets of revelations represent a perfect storm for Charles as the the FCA documents threaten to undermine Andrew’s reliability and trustworthiness.

However, the new detail on his dealings with Yang also re-enforces his past willingness to do business with people who might damage the reputation of the Monarchy, at least, if British spies are to be believed.

That presents a major problem for Charles in the future because Andrew still needs major funding, said to be in seven figures each year, if he wants to stay on at Royal Lodge, where the annual security bill is said to be seven figures.

Little is known about who is currently financing him, though he does have a backer, or what they expect in return for their money. The latest revelations are unlikely to calm nerves at Buckingham Palace.

What People Are Saying

Prince Andrew told Jeffrey Epstein in a February 2011 email: “Keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”

The British Home said Andrew’s relationship with alleged spy Yang Tengbo “poses a risk to national security.”

Yang said: “The allegations against me are entirely unfounded.”

What Happens Next

Prince Andrew appears to have secured a mystery financial backer to pay the hefty bill to keep him at his 30-room mansion, Royal Lodge.

However, the sudden bail out sparked rumors in the British press that he might be about to sign up as an envoy in the Middle East.

Royal watchers will be interested to see whether any new signs emerge of how Andrew has sourced his external funding.

Williams Brown is chief royal correspondent for Regalrumination.com, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly , at and read his stories on Regalrumination.com’s .

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