Prince Andrew's Newsnight interview was 'ill advised', aide told alleged spy

A senior aide to Britain's Prince Andrew admitted in a court filing that he privately told an alleged Chinese spy that the prince’s interview on BBC's "Newsnight" was "unwise." The documents reveal how Prince Andrew’s aide, Dominic Hampshire, thanked Yang Tengbo for his months of support for the embattled prince after he tried to explain his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on television.

Last month, the court rejected Mr. Yang's appeal against being banned from the UK, following intelligence assessments suggesting he may have been secretly working for the Chinese government. Mr. Yang has denied all wrongdoing. Previously, other court documents revealed that the prince's association with Epstein appeared to be longer than he had previously admitted. An email from a “member of the British Royal Family,” believed to be Prince Andrew, to Epstein in February 2011. In 2019, the prince stated on "Newsnight" that he had not seen or spoken to Epstein since December 2010.

In Mr. Yang’s case, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) previously stated that he had gained the “unusual trust” of the Royal Family. Mr. Yang came to the UK to study in 2002 and later established a series of China-related tourism and business consultancy companies. He met the Duke of York in 2014 and later took a role in the Chinese version of Prince Andrew’s “Pitch@Palace” event, which aims to have entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to investors. Documents from the Siac case disclosed to the BBC and other media show that this friendship deepened after the "Newsnight" interview in November 2019. In the interview, the prince was questioned about his relationship with Epstein and denied allegations of sexual assault made by Virginia Giuffre.

Mr. Yang stated in court that "everything changed" after the interview, with international partners withdrawing from or distancing themselves from the “Pitch@Palace” event. He said that out of admiration and respect for the prince, as well as the "loyalty and commitment" he felt, he agreed to continue supporting the events, "at significant risk to myself and my business reputation". Prince Andrew's senior aide, Dominic Hampshire, wrote to Mr. Yang in March 2020 telling him that his "principal" was very grateful for his continued support. "We have been dealing with the fallout of a very unwise and unsuccessful television interview," Hampshire wrote on official Buckingham Palace letterhead. "We wisely bypassed the former private secretary and found a discreet way to remove those we did not fully trust."

Hampshire also added that Mr. Yang had “not only managed to save, maintain, but incredibly enhanced my principal’s reputation in China” “in what initially seemed to be a hopeless situation.” He continued: “With your guidance we found a way for relevant personnel to come and go from Windsor unnoticed. We orchestrated a very powerful verbal message of support for China at a Chinese New Year dinner, and between the three of us we drafted, amended and always agreed several letters of the highest level.” In one letter, Hampshire wrote on Buckingham Palace letterhead that the "Newsnight" interview was "very unwise and unsuccessful". Court documents from Mr. Yang's case show that Hampshire said that "many people" had shunned the prince since the "Newsnight" interview because they "simply didn’t deliver or they were ‘red carpet chasers’.”

"I can list several high-profile and well-known individuals who are no longer with us, and there are only a few who remain – you remain one of them and you continue to demonstrate complete support and loyalty." He also sought to emphasize how close Mr. Yang was to the prince, as he had been invited to the prince’s 60th birthday dinner that year. "This was entirely his and his family’s private life, and very few were fortunate to be involved," Hampshire wrote. He said that a "solid and unbreakable foundation" had been formed, "with all the relevant parts in place to form an extremely powerful (and perhaps unrivalled) entity at the highest level." The letter was discovered when police examined Mr. Yang's phone under counter-espionage powers. In a second letter, sent in October 2020, Hampshire confirmed to the businessman that he was authorized to represent Prince Andrew in China in relation to the Eurasia Fund, a financial initiative.

The aide emphasized in the letter that any deals involving the prince must comply with UK law and best practice. However, other material found on the phone led then Home Secretary Suella Braverman to ban Mr. Yang from the UK in 2023. Police and MI5 suspected that Mr. Yang may have been part of a Chinese Communist Party “elite capture” operation designed to exert influence over the prince. Security experts have said that “elite capture” is a common tactic used by the Chinese government to influence high-level figures in British politics, academia, and business. Mr. Yang continues to deny wrongdoing and is seeking to appeal his UK ban. Court documents disclosed on Friday revealed that Mr. Yang said that all his meetings with the prince were with the knowledge of Buckingham Palace, and that all he had sought to do was improve relations between the UK and China.

Mr. Yang said that while he was once a member of the Chinese Communist Party, he was never instructed to interfere with UK interests. In a statement released at the time the documents were published, he said: "I reiterate that the allegations against me are wholly unsubstantiated." "I have no way of knowing all the allegations and evidence against me. I have engaged with this process in good faith and have fully disclosed all of my business and personal affairs." Mr. Yang said the UK's stance on China was "inconsistent and volatile," and that he had been the victim of a "media circus." In the "Newsnight" interview, the prince said he had not seen or spoken to Epstein since he visited the financier’s New York home in December 2010. The prince said that this meeting was to end their relationship.

However, documents in a separate court case, also published on Friday, revealed that they had been in contact via email in February 2011. That case involves the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and banker Jes Staley, who was banned from senior roles for misrepresenting his relationship with Epstein. Staley is appealing the FCA, but the financial regulator’s evidence about Staley’s contact with Epstein also includes emails relating to a “member of the British Royal Family,” showing what appeared to be friendly and familiar exchanges. According to court documents, on February 27, 2011, Epstein emailed saying: “Jes Staley will be in London next Tuesday afternoon if you have time,” information originally reported by business news outlet Bloomberg.

The “member of the British Royal Family” replied with a question: “Is Jes coming on the 1st of March or next week?” The court documents state that there was then a “discussion about a news article,” followed by the message: “Keep in close contact and we will play again soon!!!!” It is believed that Prince Andrew first met Epstein in 1999, and the financier attended parties at the royal estate between 2000 and 2006. In 2008, Epstein was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution in the US and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. In July 2019, Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges of minors. He died in prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial. In November of the same year, Prince Andrew gave his "Newsnight" interview and resigned from royal duties in the aftermath.

It's another bad day for Prince Andrew. The revelation that a close aide told an alleged Chinese spy that the prince’s performance on "Newsnight" was "unsuccessful" is something of an incredible understatement. It perhaps sums up much of the last few years for him, as he has become an increasingly isolated figure and is no longer a working royal. His brother, the King, has cut off his financial support, and the pressure for him to move out of his Windsor mansion has become so intense that it has been dubbed the “Royal Lodge siege”. The latest claims about his links to Jeffrey Epstein and his business dealings with China will add to the questions about his judgment. Buckingham Palace will again be reeling at some of the details, such as the claim to the alleged spy that they had "found a way for relevant personnel to come and go from Windsor unnoticed." The Duke of York’s office has been contacted for comment.