Prince Andrew wrote birthday letters to Chinese President Xi Jinping

Prince Andrew sent birthday letters to China’s President, which were written with the help of an alleged Chinese spy, his aide had revealed.

Prince Andrew sent yearly birthday letters – which were written with the help of an alleged Chinese spy – to China’s President Xi Jinping, his senior aide has revealed.

Details about the Duke of York’s connection with alleged spy Yang Tengbo (also known as Chris Yang), were brought to light in a witness statement by Prince Andrew’s former senior adviser Dominic Hampshire.

Mr Hampshire, who worked with Andrew from 2019-22, had provided evidence to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) in a case concerning Mr Yang.

Mr Yang was banned from the UK in 2023 over national security concerns after it was concluded he may have been trying to exert influence over the Duke. Mr Yang, a businessman, has denied all wrongdoing.

Mr Hampshire’s statement – made in May 2024 in support of Mr Yang – was made public after a number of media outlets pushed for its release.

Prince Andrew sent yearly birthday letters to China’s President. Picture: Justin Tallis/AFP

In his statement, Mr Hampshire said Prince Andrew has always had a “communication channel” with President Xi, which included an annual birthday letter.

Letters sent to President Xi were also related to the Eurasia Fund, an investment vehicle, involving the Duke and Mr Yang.

“The royal household, including the late queen, were fully aware of this communication – it was certainly accepted and it may be fair to say it was even encouraged – it was an open channel of communication that was useful to have,” Mr Hampshire wrote.

Mr Hampshire said Prince Andrew has always had a “communication channel” with President Jinping. Picture: Adek Berry/AFP

“As is my job, I would draft these letters with the help of those (in this instance Chris) that understood how messages need to be conveyed due to cultural differences.”

Mr Hampshire dismissed the contents of the letters as “top-level ‘nothingness’”.

“For example, the duke sends a letter to the president for his birthday each year,” he wrote.

The former senior adviser noted communication with the Chinese president was mostly used to promote Prince Andrew’s Pitch@Palace start-up business initiative in China.

Yang Tengbo, pictured alongside Prince Andrew at a Pitch@Palace event. Picture: YouTube

Andrew’s ‘irrecoverable’ reputation

Elsewhere in his statement, Mr Hampshire addressed Prince Andrew’s reputation following his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview about his relationship with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“It was clear that the Duke’s position was irrecoverable,” he wrote.

“This was a common feeling within the Royal Household (despite what the Duke thought may happen).

“It was very clear internally within the royal household that we would have to look at options for the duke’s future away from royal duties.”

He acknowledged Mr Yang who was the founder-partner of Pitch@Palace China — a platform for UK entrepreneurs to make transformational connections — for his “loyalty and support for standing by the duke when all others were deserting him”.

Mr Hampshire said there had “never been one single red flag in my head” about Mr Yang over the five years he had known him and noted Mr Yang “categorically does not have a close relationship with the duke”.

The former senior adviser noted communication with the Chinese president was mostly used to promote Prince Andrew’s Pitch@Palace. Picture: YouTube

Mr Yang failed to overturn the decision to ban him from the UK last year, with the judge ruling he had “won a significant degree, one could say an unusual degree, of trust from a senior member of the royal family who was prepared to enter into business activities with him.”

In January, Mr Yang said he was seeking to overturn the decision.

In a statement released on Friday, Mr Hampshire said: “The Palace was kept informed of all my commercial endeavours on behalf of the Duke of York”

“Full disclosure of all communications with Mr Yang the Hampton Group and China was offered to both Buckingham Palace and the intelligence services,” he added.

“At all times I sought to protect the best interests of the Royal Family with integrity and loyalty.

“I am now a private businessman and none of my business interests are connected to any member of the Royal Family.”

Originally published as Prince Andrew wrote birthday letters to Chinese President Xi Jinping