Prince Andrew met two alleged Chinese spies during a single trip to China, according to a new report.
During a nine-day promotional tour for his entrepreneurial venture in April 2019, Prince Andrew held meetings with two individuals subsequently identified as alleged Chinese intelligence operatives.
Andrew encountered both men whilst advancing his Pitch@Palace programme in China, according to the Telegraph.
His engagements included separate meetings with Cai Qi and Yang Tengbo, both of whom have since been linked to espionage activities.
Prince Andrew met two alleged Chinese spies during a single trip to China, according to a new report.
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The encounters occurred within days of each other as the prince promoted his business initiative designed to support start-up companies.
The initial encounter took place on April 10 when the prince met with Cai Qi.
According to Chinese government records, Mr Cai commended the charity, stating it had "supported nearly 2,000 entrepreneurial projects around the world, with its influence growing".
Two days afterwards, photographs captured Prince Andrew alongside Mr Yang at a business bootcamp for Pitch@Palace China held at Peking University's Shenzhen campus.
Andrew encountered both men whilst advancing his Pitch@Palace programme in China, according to the Telegraph.
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This gathering marked the beginning of multiple occasions throughout April 2019 where Andrew appeared at events attended by the alleged operative.
The meetings centred on expanding Pitch@Palace China, the regional branch of Prince Andrew's business mentorship scheme.
It comes as Prince Andrew's position at Royal Lodge hangs in the balance following the breakdown of a commercial arrangement with Dutch firm StartUpBootCamp.
The partnership would have generated funds to cover the substantial maintenance costs of the Windsor estate.
Andrew faces possible removal from the 30-bedroom residence where he has lived without paying rent for twenty years.
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Andrew faces possible removal from the 30-bedroom residence where he has lived without paying rent for twenty years.
Sources told the Telegraph that this deal is now "dead in the water".
The arrangement was crucial for meeting the lease requirements that demand that Andrew finance the Grade II-listed property's upkeep.
Buckingham Palace has applied considerable pressure for Andrew to vacate the grand residence as officials believe the palatial home no longer suits his diminished royal standing.
The proposed arrangement involved monetising connections and networks established through Pitch@Palace, the Andrew’s entrepreneurial platform founded in 2014.
These introductions held significant commercial value for StartUpBootCamp and the Dutch firm would have paid substantial fees for each contact provided.
Company representatives met with senior palace officials during the summer to obtain clearance before finalising commercial terms.
StartUpBootCamp initiated preliminary work on reviving the Pitch@Palace network across Middle Eastern and Asian markets.
The partnership ultimately unravelled when StartUpBootCamp executives grew concerned about negative publicity surrounding Andrew.
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