Prince Andrew pulls out of royal Christmas celebrations amid China spy scandal

Prince Andrew will not be joining his family at Sandringham on Christmas Day, preserving the royal family's scandal amid allegations he was close friends with an alleged Chinese spy.

The Duke of York has been embroiled in yet another controversy as one of his close associates, Yang Tengbo, has been banned from the country on the grounds that he was engaged in “undercover and treacherous activities”.

The Chinese businessman, who was appointed on Monday after a judge issued a court order, is said to have used his close friendship with the king to get invitations to Buckingham Palace. He also met former prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May.

Following the reports, the Duke has been urged to pull out of a Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on Thursday and avoid being seen with his family at Sandringham on Christmas Day next week. Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie had already planned to spend Christmas with their in-laws this year for the first time.

This governor is mentioned in the courts concerning the suspect suspected of being a spy, his request to be extradited from Britain was rejected by the court of experts last Thursday.

Now named as Yang Tengbo, the 50-year-old director of a Chinese investment consultancy was banned from the UK until 2023 after it was deemed he could pose a threat to national security.

At a hearing in July, the court was told that Andrew's adviser said he could act on the Duke's behalf when dealing with potential investors in China, and that the agent had been invited to the king's birthday party in 2020.

Mr. Yang said he “didn't do anything wrong or illegal” and “the widespread description of 'I'm a spy' is completely untrue”. His case came to light after he challenged his removal from the UK at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.

On Friday, a statement from the Duke's office said: “The Duke of York has followed advice from His Majesty's Government and ceased contact with the individual after the complaints emerged.

“The king met someone through official channels and nothing serious was ever discussed. He cannot comment much on issues affecting the security of the country.”

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.