The latest scandal to engulf Prince Andrew could be big enough to “bring down the Royal Family” an expert has claimed. The Duke of York was forced back into hiding at the end of 2024 after his close relationship with an alleged Chinese spy came to light as he was described as a “close confidant” of Yang Tengbo.
He was banned from the UK after being accused of spying for China and of developing relationships with politicians to be “leveraged” by the hostile state. He also formed an “unusual degree of trust” with Andrew, with this coming to light in December when a Special Immigration Appeals Tribunal upheld a Home Office order banning him from the UK on national security grounds following a long-running legal battle.
It was another setback for Andrew who stepped back from the public eye and royal duties after a humiliating interview with Emily Maitlis about his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2019. He was absent from King Charles’ Christmas gathering at Sandringham.
Now fears have been raised that the Chinese spy scandal could be fatal for trust in the Royal Family as it deals with his murky finances. He is reportedly having his life bankrolled by a mysterious benefactor and mystery surrounds how much money he has made as a businessman and diplomat.
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Mr Tengbo was even invited to the Duke’s birthday party in 2020 and supported him through the Epstein scandal, meaning he had access to royals and royal property. Andrew Lownie, royal biographer, told The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show: “It’s probably the most damaging of Andrew’s scandals. It’s more damaging than Epstein. I think the story is going to run right through next year.
“He’s always been much more vulnerable to the financial scandals in his life than the sexual ones. It’s going to have to lead to greater transparency about royal finances.This has unlocked a whole series of events that I think are going to be very damaging to the monarchy. It’s the tip of the iceberg.”
Andrew alongside Yang Tengbo.
“When those stories come out, I think he’s going to be complete toast. The danger is that he’s going to bring the royal family down with him.” It adds to claims from another royal insider that Andrew’s ongoing scandals had been a source of distress for King Charles.
They said: “The Duke of York is becoming a lump in the throat for the King Charles, who’s already facing health and other crisis within the family. It’s has been difficult for the monarch to get rid of the disgraced royal.”
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Royal expert Phil Dampier also shared a similar opinion about how damning the scandal could be for Andrew and his family. He told the Sun: “By allowing a Chinese spy inside royal residences like Windsor and Buckingham Palace he endangered the security of the whole Royal Family and the institution of the monarchy.”
Mr Lownie also called for a state investigation, by parliamentary committee, into the relationship between the Duke and Mr Tengbo. He said: “We need to have a register of royal interests, which was explored several years ago, like the parliamentary register… they would have to declare, in effect, their business activities. There was meant to be a list of royal gifts, but that hasn’t followed.”
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