Scandal-prone Prince Andrew strikes again.
A Chinese businessman has been banned from entering the UK after forming a relationship with the disgraced Duke of York in an attempt to influence the British elite on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. The man, identified on Monday as Yang Tembo, said he was not involved in espionage and had “not done anything bad or illegal.”
Following the scandal, it was reported that Andrew would not be joining the royal family for Christmas at Sandringham with his family.
Prince Andrew won't join King Charles and royal family for Christmas following latest scandal: Report
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attends the 2022 Christmas service at Sandringham. The prince and his family will not be attending this year. (Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital: “It's been a hellish year for King Charles as he battles with poor health.”
She noted that Christmas was supposed to be a time of reflection for the 76-year-old monarch but was “overshadowed by yet another Andrew issue”.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Fox News Digital: “We do not speak for the Duke of York.” A spokesperson for Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
“Prince Andrew is a disgrace to the royal family and his brother, the King, is outraged. The King is thought to view his brother as 'gullible at best and filthy at worst.' British royal expert Hilary Fordwich he told FOX News Digital.
King Charles III (left), who is battling undisclosed cancer, is said to be “deeply dissatisfied” with his brother. (Getty Images)
“Prince Andrew's unpleasant relationship is extremely embarrassing to the monarch,” Fordwich said. “Those who argue that the King's reckless brother should not only lose all honorary military titles but also be stripped of the Order of the Garter if he is proven to have engaged in activities that led to a breach of British national security. There is.”
Andrew, 64, has been a constant source of tabloid fodder due to his financial struggles and ties to questionable figures, including the late American financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. are.
King Charles is said to have offered Prince Andrew to move into the smaller Frogmore Cottage, which was once the home of Britain's Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but Prince Andrew reportedly refused. (Getty Images)
Before her death in 2022, Queen Elizabeth stripped Andrew of his royal duties and philanthropic roles. Most recently, Prince Charles tried to persuade his brother to cut costs by leaving his vast royal estate and moving to tiny Frogmore Cottage, within the guarded area of Windsor Castle. However, Andrew remains confined in the 30-room Royal Lodge.
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Queen Elizabeth, Britain's longest reigning monarch, died in 2022. He passed away at the age of 96. (Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital: “I think the king has a deep dissatisfaction with his brother,'' Andrew said. “It's pure poison,” he said.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: “Attention now turns to Prince Charles' lunch for his extended family at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.” “If Andrew was photographed entering the principality of the monarchy, that would be outrageous and would put the place in obscurity.”
King Charles is currently undergoing cancer treatment in London with his wife Queen Camilla. (Getty Images)
Mr Andrew said nothing sensitive was discussed and he discontinued contact with the Chinese businessman as soon as concerns were raised. However, many in the UK feel the king needs to take a more proactive approach to prevent Andrew from becoming embroiled in further scandals.
Kate Middleton, King Charles' “beloved” daughter-in-law, announced in March that she had been diagnosed with cancer. In September, the Princess of Wales revealed that she had completed chemotherapy treatment. (Max Manby/Getty Images)
“Prince Andrew's repeated failures are a constant source of embarrassment for the monarch,” Chard said. “The monarchy is starting to be negatively affected.”
“Prince Andrew is a disgrace to the royal family and his brother, the King, is outraged. The King is thought to view his brother as 'gullible at best and filthy at worst.'”
Prince Andrew is said to have been the late Queen's favorite son. (Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images)
“Although it is too late to prevent a crisis for Prince Andrew, King Charles recognizes the need to move to crisis management,” Chard said. “Prince Andrew may not be a working royal, but he's still a member of the family, which is why his brother King Charles has made sure that he doesn't appear in public with members of the royal family. Must be.”
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Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles ascended the throne. (Yui Mok/PA Image, Getty Images)
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner insisted on Fox News Digital that Andrew is trying to keep a low profile as the Chinese spying scandal continues to make headlines.
“Some say Andrew is done for, but King Charles is notorious for not always being able to make difficult decisions about his brother,” Pelham Turner said. “Prince William, Andrew's nephew, may take a tougher line if there are any further indiscretions.”
Prince William is the Prince of Wales, next in line to the British throne. (Mikolaj Barbanell/SOPA Images/LightRocket, Getty Images)
After 22 years in the Royal Navy, including flying combat missions as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War, Andrew was appointed Britain's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment in 2001.
Prince Andrew lives in the vast Royal Lodge with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. The couple divorced in 1996. (Gareth Fuller/Getty Images)
But he was forced to resign amid concerns about his friendship with Epstein, who pleaded guilty to soliciting minors for prostitution and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Andrew was also criticized for meeting with the son of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and the son-in-law of ousted Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Even before that, some MPs had raised concerns about the sale of Mr Andrew's former home, Sunninghill Park, in 2007 to the son-in-law of Kazakhstan's former ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev.
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Prince Andrew's two daughters, Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice (right), will not be at Sandringham with other members of the royal family for Christmas. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Despite Royal Andrew's continued hiccups, To Di For Daily podcast host Kinsey Schofield told Fox News Digital that the king will never forget the promise he reportedly made to his mother. he said.
“Queen Elizabeth spent the last few years of her life overwhelmed by the turmoil surrounding not only Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, but also Prince Andrew,” she claimed. “I am convinced that King Charles promised his mother that he would do everything in his power to take care of his younger brother no matter the circumstances.” I have tried not to.”
Panoramic view of Sandringham, a country house privately owned by the British royal family. It is also the setting for the royal family's Christmas celebrations. (RDImages/Epic/Getty Images)
“There are rumors that the king continues to secretly fund certain aspects of Prince Andrew's life,” Schofield said. “Last Christmas, Prince Charles went out of his way to show solidarity by including the Yorkist family in the Christmas celebrations. In Prince William's words, he was involved in a 'brutal' year for Chinese spies. The story doesn't end the way the monarchy wants it to. It's the way they want it to end. It ends things on a good note and prompts a hopeful transition into 2025. ”
Prince Andrew (right) left the royal family in 2019 after a controversial relationship with the late American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (left). (Getty Images)
“I think this story proves that Prince Andrew does not have the best judgment and continues to take responsibility.” [not only] Against the monarchy, but now potentially against the government,” Schofield continued.
“In extreme circumstances, Prince Andrew's title as Duke of York could be stripped by an Act of Parliament…As far as the Palace is concerned, we would like to maintain transparency with the public and ensure that the monarchy values accountability and integrity. We should reconfirm that.”
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is pictured aboard HMS Invincible while serving as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War. (© Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
In 2019, Andrew announced that he would step back from royal duties “for the time being.” He said in a statement that his relationship with Epstein “has caused significant disruption to my family's business.”
Virginia Roberts Giuffre holds a photo of herself as a teenager that she says was abused by Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew. (Emily Michaud/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
In 2021, one of Epstein's victims claimed that the prince had a sexual relationship with him when she was a minor. Andrew denied the charges but ultimately settled the case for an undisclosed amount.
The statement said Andrew was planning to make a “significant donation” to a victims' rights charity. British newspapers reported the settlement amount to be between $6 million and $16 million.
It remains to be seen how the king will deal with Andrew's new problems. But Chard says the solution is simple.
WATCH: Author claims King Charles is secretly paying Prince Andrew's rent
“The whole family recognizes the need to hide Andrew,” she said. “We've opened a can of worms. I think we're worried that more scandals will come to light. The public wants more transparency and…simplicity is the way forward.”
“Prince Andrew needs a life coach to help him get back on track,” she said. “It brings him good and helps him and his family's reputation to be seen as doing good in the world. Who knows, Prince Andrew's controversy is in a teacup. It might just be a storm.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
