It is not the first time the embattled Duke has been in trouble because of his friendships and he now faces a test to repair his public image and relations with his brother, the King.
Here is what has happened.
The Duke of York’s office said he had broken contact with H6 when concerns were raised
Chris Jackson / PA
What is the Chinese spy scandal and what has Prince Andrew been accused of in the past?
H6, the identity of whom has not yet been made public, is a businessman and has been described as a “close confidante” of Andrew, attending his birthday in 2020.
It was said that the two met through “official channels” and that nothing sensitive was ever discussed.
H6 then brought a case to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission in July 2023, where judges were told that he had been in a position to generate relationships between prominent UK figures and senior Chinese officials “that could be leveraged for political interference purposes”.
They also said that H6 had downplayed his relationship with the Chinese state which, combined with his relationship with Andrew, represented a threat to national security.
He was also suspected of circumventing the Duke’s private secretaries, and smuggling people unnoticed in and out of Andrew’s residence in Windsor.
What other scandals has Prince Andrew been involved in?
The Duke of York had a noted career in the Royal Navy in the 1980s and was married to Sarah Ferguson, with the pair raising princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.
However, his public image and reputation as the Queen’s favourite son began to come apart, firstly with his 1996 divorce, and then with his friendship with now disgraced financer Jeffrey Epstein. He stepped back from his role of special envoy in 2011.
The Duke denied any wrongdoing and settled out of court with Giuffre in 2022.
Since then, he has made fleeting public appearances but has been a thorn in the King’s side for his alleged refusal to move out of the Royal Lodge and into Frogmore Cottage.
Can I watch the Prince Andrew Newsnight interview?
In November 2019, the Duke went against Royal protocol in giving an interview. Emily Maitlis made the film for BBC Newsnight, which proved ultimately calamitous for the Royal.
Andrew revealed details of his friendship with Epstein and Maxwell and came across as unrepentant. It led to him stepping back from royal life entirely.
Who plays Prince Andrew in Scoop?
The drama around the interview was such that Netflix adapted it for a film called Scoop, which premiered in April.
Prince Andrew is played by Rufus Sewell while Maitlis is played by Gillian Anderson.
Then Amazon MGM produced A Very Royal Scandal, in which Andrew is played by Michael Sheen and Maitlis by Ruth Wilson.
