A Chinese businessman, known only as H6, who formed close ties with Prince Andrew and was authorised to represent him in securing investors in China, has been banned from entering the UK on national security grounds.
The 50-year-old was removed from a flight from Beijing to London in February 2023 and subsequently informed that the UK government would impose a ban on him. This was confirmed the following month.
H6 appealed the ban at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), but his appeal was rejected in a ruling issued on Thursday, marking the first public acknowledgment of his relationship with Prince Andrew.
Buckingham Palace, which removed Prince Andrew from royal duties in 2022, has declined to comment on the matter, and Reuters was unable to obtain a response from the Duke of York or his representatives.
The ban follows an investigation triggered by H6’s stop under counter-terrorism laws at a UK border in 2021.
During the investigation, the contents of his phone were downloaded, revealing that Prince Andrew had authorised him to establish an international financial initiative aimed at attracting Chinese investors. The exact purpose of this fund remains unclear.
The documents on H6’s phone suggested he had deliberately hidden his links to the Chinese Communist Party and the United Front Work Department, which is tasked with extending China’s influence globally.
The ruling indicated that H6 had the potential to foster relationships between senior UK figures and Chinese officials that could be used to further Beijing’s agenda.
The United Front Work Department has been described by Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a “magic weapon” for expanding China’s global influence.
In response to the ban, the Chinese embassy in London issued a statement accusing certain British individuals of fabricating “spy” allegations against China.
The embassy stated that these accusations were intended to damage relations and disrupt people-to-people exchanges between the UK and China.
