Prince Andrew knew an alleged Chinese spy for a decade, the Mail can reveal.
The pair met in 2012 and it was not until 2022, after the former Chinese civil servant was rumbled by security services, that the Duke of York dropped him, it was claimed.
During those ten years Andrew appointed him a trusted business adviser, court papers disclosed this week.
The disgraced duke, 64, was urged to be clear and honest amid calls for an inquiry into how the alleged Chinese agent had infiltrated the Royal Family.
And tonight Andrew, a former government trade envoy, broke his silence on the latest scandal to engulf him, saying he had ceased all contact with the supposed spy after receiving advice from officials.
Known only as H6 for legal reasons, the 50-year-old businessman became a close confidant to the eighth in line to the throne.
He even attended Andrews 60th birthday party in 2020, which was said to have been a muted, close-knit affair with little more than a dozen guests present.
The alleged spy was assured by the princes adviser, Dominic Hampshire, that he was so important to Andrew that he sat at the top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on, the court documents revealed.
Prince Andrew with the alleged Chinese spy who he met in 2012
Prince Andrew meets Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on May 29, 2018 in Beijing, China
Gilly Yarrow, wife of the Lord Mayor of London, the Chinese Presidents wife Peng Liyuan, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, Chinese President Xi Jinping and The Lord Mayor of London Alan Yarrow pose at the Guildhall in London before attending a banquet on October 21, 2015
The disgraced duke (pictured), 64, was urged to be clear and honest amid calls for an inquiry into how the alleged Chinese agent had infiltrated the Royal Family
H6 has since been banished from Britain after an MI5 probe. Legal papers show he had been working on the basis that the duke was in a desperate situation and will grab on to anything.
The Duke of York said he met H6 through official channels with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed. A statement from his office added: He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.
As the royals were sent reeling by yet another Andrew-related crisis, one supporter of King Charles told the Mail: The Palace have handled this as best they possibly can. There is only a limited amount he can do given that his brother is now a private individual.
He has cut him off financially, pulled his security and tried to get him to see sense and downsize [from his home at Royal Lodge in Windsor, which Andrew is refusing to do]. What more can be done? He has been stripped of literally everything he can be.
Friends of the duke played down his association with the alleged spy, though pictures emerged of them together on a number of occasions. One source told the Mail: This was not a friend of the dukes, this was an official contact. He only met him on official business once or twice.
But former head of royal protection Dai Davies called for a proper public inquiry.
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith added: Prince Andrew needs to be clear and honest. He has made a mistake. He was in a vulnerable period at the time.
But now he needs to be properly open about what happened. There needs to be a full, proper investigation by the security services.
Known only as H6 for legal reasons, the 50-year-old businessman became a close confidant to the eighth in line to the throne
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith (pictured) ahs called for Prince Andrew to be clear and honest about his links with the suspected spy
Former head of royal protection Dai Davies (pictured) has called for a proper public inquiry
Ex-security minister Tom Tugendhat said the episode was extremely embarrassing.
Blast at kowtowing PM
Sir Keir Starmer was last night accused of kowtowing to Beijing after failing to condemn its alleged bids to infiltrate the Royal Family.
Downing Street did not take any action after it emerged the alleged Far East agent was apparently so close to the British Establishment he was invited to Prince Andrews 60th birthday party. Ex Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: Get ready for project kowtow on steroids. Theyre crawling on their bellies in obedience.
He claimed the Government didnt want to upset China because theyre so desperate over the economy.
A Downing Street spokesman said: When it comes to China weve been clear that we will cooperate where we can, compete when needed and challenge where we must.
Pictured: Sir Keir Starmer
The revelations emerged in an extraordinary legal case in which H6 tried and failed to overturn a decision by then-home secretary Suella Braverman to ban him from Britain on national security grounds, after advice from MI5.
The security service allegedly discovered H6 was a member of the Chinese Communist Party covertly working for its intelligence-gathering department, the United Front Work Department.
A hearing was told his telephone was seized under counterterrorism laws in November 2021, and its contents included a 2020 letter from Mr Hampshire to the alleged spy highlighting the strength of the relationship between him and Andrew, the UKs former trade envoy.
Another document from 2021 showed the apparent spy being told what to say during a call with the duke, including if he does talk about money, [say] things are going well. At the time, the Queens second son was embroiled in a New York legal action with Virginia Giuffre, who claims she slept with the prince on three occasions while in the thrall of billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, a friend of Andrews.
The duke strenuously denied the allegations and reportedly settled out of court for up to £12million without any admission of liability.
A friend of the prince insisted to the Mail: He first met H6 in 2012 while on official business. Any contact his office had with them related to official business, and as soon as he was made aware of HMGs [the governments] concerns, two years ago, he dropped him and ceased all contact.
He has been made to sound like a crony, and that is absolutely wrong. He was invited and did attend the dukes 60th birthday, alongside a number of people who were looking to support the duke in his official business at a difficult time.
H6 was someone who, when everyone was dropping the duke, had expressed an interest in continuing to support his official work, the source added.
Prince Andrew broke his silence on the latest scandal to engulf him, saying he had ceased all contact with the supposed spy after receiving advice from officials
But retired chief superintendent Mr Davies said: If Andrew was any other businessman who has been associating with so many [dubious] characters while he was in a public role then there would be an investigation.
In the court papers released after H6 lost his appeal to be allowed into the UK, a judge said the businessman had won an unusual degree of trust from a senior member of the Royal Family.
Buckingham Palace was made aware of the case in advance, at the right time and through the appropriate government channels.
The Chinese embassy in London said critics were keen on making up all kinds of spy stories against China to smear the country, adding: We strongly condemn this.