Prince Andrew acted as a "key conduit" to Chinese President Xi Jinping and maintained a private communication channel that included annual birthday letters, according to newly filed court documents by the Duke's former senior adviser.
Dominic Hampshire, a businessman and longtime aide to the Duke of York, submitted a detailed witness statement in support of Yang Tengbo, an alleged Chinese intelligence asset once described as a "close confidant" of the Duke. Yang was banned from the U.K. in 2021 following MI5 concerns about his influence over Prince Andrew.
"I maintain and believe that the Duke must surely be a valuable communication point with China," Hampshire stated in the court filing. He added: "Whilst I think China would prefer a different royal, the reality is, to this day, that if the UK Government or the palace said that someone needs to see the Chinese president and talk to him, I think the Duke would be able to do that, whereas I don't think anyone else could do so as simply."
The documents suggest the late Queen Elizabeth II "encouraged" the private line of communication. Letters to Xi were "carefully drafted" with the help of Yang and sometimes referenced the Duke's China-linked venture, the Eurasia Fund, Hampshire claimed.
The Eurasia Fund, never fully operational, was designed to invest in renewable energy projects in Africa with backing from Chinese and Middle Eastern sources. It was linked to Eurasia Global Partners, where ownership was split between Yang's Hampton Group (30%), Hampshire's consultancy (10%), and a third firm led by ex-Tullow Oil CEO Aidan Heavey (60%). Hampshire took Heavey to Buckingham Palace to meet the Keeper of the Privy Purse to present the fund's objectives.
In one excerpt, Hampshire recalled telling Sir Edward Young, the Queen's private secretary, that "Chris [Yang] is pretty much our only avenue for the Duke moving forward and arguably the only light at the end of the tunnel for him. Do you have a plan B?" Young replied, "I don't know."
Security services raised alarms about Yang's access, summoning Hampshire and Prince Andrew's assistant private secretary to a 2022 meeting. "There was a concern about Chris [Yang], and that he has a level of influence. The concern was how that influence could affect the Duke," an MI5 officer allegedly said. Hampshire asked whether he should cut ties with Yang and was told: "No, I can't ask you to stop. But we have genuine concerns."
Elsewhere in the statement, Hampshire stated the Duke's reputation had become "irrecoverable" after his 2019 BBC Newsnight interview regarding his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. "It was very clear internally within the Royal household that we would have to look at options for the Duke's future away from royal duties."
Hampshire claimed that Yang remained loyal to Andrew when "all others were deserting him," adding that letters to Xi became "a top-level 'nothingness'" but were still considered useful diplomatic gestures. "It may be fair to say that perhaps even encouraged-it was an open channel of communication that was useful to have," he wrote.
In a separate admission, Hampshire sought to minimize language used in messages to Yang previously obtained by MI5, stating, "There was significant artistic licence in 'blowing smoke' and stroking his ego to maintain Chris's support of the Duke." He denied being involved in Yang's invitation to the Duke's birthday party but admitted he likely endorsed it.
The witness statement also referenced Prince Andrew's attempts to remove unsavory figures from his circle, including Libyan arms dealer Tarek Kaituni, who had once introduced the Duke to Muammar Gaddafi and was present at Princess Eugenie's wedding.
Hampshire, who co-founded a Chinese golfing network with Yang, took an unusual detour in his testimony, claiming Chinese golfers lacked etiquette. "Chinese golfers do not have particularly good golf etiquette, which is hugely important and being able to speak English is a prerequisite," he said.
