[People News] Recently, Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom was arrested on his birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, shocking the British royal family and the entire country. Members of the royal family are reportedly deeply uneasy about what may follow. Not only could Prince Andrew lose his place in the line of succession, but the reputation of the monarchy may also suffer a severe blow.

The direct trigger for Prince Andrew’s arrest was newly released U.S. documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, which revealed connections involving Andrew, former British Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson, and Epstein. Emails from Epstein showed that Andrew maintained “long-term contact” with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping.

For example, in a November 2015 email to LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Epstein wrote: “Prince Andrew is about to go to China; he maintains long-term contact with Xi Jinping.” He added, “If you would like to meet (Prince Andrew), let me know.”

In another email from September 2010 to former Barclays executive Jes Staley, Epstein implied that Prince Andrew was eager to become a representative for JPMorgan in China.

These newly exposed details have raised questions about whether Andrew’s contacts with senior CCP officials posed a threat to British national security. On February 21, according to GB News, former Security Minister Tom Tugendhat called for a special committee to investigate. Tugendhat said: “This raises urgent questions about foreign influence and national security. How much did the Royal Household know? How much did Cabinet ministers know? What else is being kept from the public?”

Mainland Chinese websites still retain many reports about Andrew’s visits to China, though some have been deleted.

In April 2004, Prince Andrew began a four-day visit to China as Special Representative of UK Trade & Investment. This was his first visit to China and the first by a member of the British royal family since Queen Elizabeth II’s 1986 visit. After that, Andrew visited China multiple times and became an honored guest of the CCP.

Epstein’s documents show that Prince Andrew held at least two formal meetings with Xi Jinping in Beijing in April 2016 and May 2018. Chinese state media published photos of the two shaking hands. According to official reports, during those visits, then-Premier praised Andrew’s role in promoting the “golden era” of Sino-British relations. It was also reported that Prince Andrew sent annual birthday greetings directly to Xi Jinping.

In addition to Xi, Andrew met with numerous senior CCP officials. In 2018 in London, and again in Beijing in 2018 and 2019, he met Cai Qi, now a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee and then Beijing Party Secretary. In 2025, reports suggested Cai Qi had been suspected of obtaining sensitive information from British citizens Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry. Although the accusations were later dropped, doubts remain.

In December 2008, China Economic Weekly published an article titled “Prince Andrew Promotes Britain in China.” It described his participation in a high-level dialogue hosted by UK Trade & Investment, the China-Britain Business Council, and the British Embassy in China. The article detailed Andrew’s meetings with then Vice Premier Wang Qishan, Commerce Minister Chen Deming, and Education Minister Zhou Ji, discussing trade, investment, and educational exchanges.

Andrew also met with Beijing Vice Mayor Ji Lin and Lou Jiwei, Chairman of China Investment Corporation, among other political and business leaders. On that visit, he acted as a full commercial envoy.

The report noted that under Andrew’s matchmaking, trade and investment ties between China and the UK developed rapidly. The UK became China’s largest investment destination in the EU, with over 6,000 UK investment projects in China. At the same time, the UK became China’s preferred EU investment destination, with over 370 mainland Chinese companies establishing branches there. Investments covered automobiles, telecommunications, media, pharmaceuticals, and more. In 2007, China Mobile opened its first overseas office in the UK; China Central Television (CCTV) established its European headquarters in London. Andrew’s role in supporting the CCP was evident.

From September 2 to 11, 2010, Andrew visited Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin at the invitation of the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs. He met with then Vice Premier Wang Qishan, Tianjin Party Secretary Zhang Gaoli, Mayor Huang Xingguo, Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying, CNOOC Chairman Fu Chengyu, and China Investment Corporation Vice Chairman Gao Xiqing. He also attended UK National Day at the Shanghai World Expo and delivered a speech at Nankai University titled “China and the UK: Growing International Trade Partners.”

Prince Andrew publicly praised the CCP’s “Belt and Road” initiative and hosted the London launch of multilingual editions of Xi Jinping’s book The Governance of China. Even after stepping back from public duties in 2019 due to his association with Epstein, Andrew continued interacting with China.

At the opening ceremony of the 15th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention in October 2019, Andrew read out a congratulatory message from Xi Jinping. The letter praised Andrew’s commitment to UK-China relations, especially in promoting cooperation in science, technology, and innovation.

In February 2020, Andrew invited the Chinese Ambassador to the UK to his birthday celebration.

On January 21, 2019, the CCP’s People’s Daily published an article by Wu Hailong, President of the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, referring to two “old friends” of China: former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Prince Andrew. The institute is closely linked to the CCP’s United Front Work Department.

The article described Andrew as the British royal family member who visited China most frequently. It noted that he supported startups in China and used his royal influence to assist poverty alleviation and business innovation. In 2018, Andrew visited China twice and attended the first China International Import Expo, praising China’s reform and opening-up and pledging to promote the “golden era” of UK-China relations.

In a one-party authoritarian state like China, Andrew’s ability to profit there would necessarily depend on CCP approval, and such approval would not come without reciprocal benefit.

Like Kissinger, who assisted the CCP while profiting from business dealings in China, Andrew’s extensive access raises similar questions. Since 1971, Kissinger visited China more than 70 times—50 official visits and 20 private, mostly commercial—earning the nickname “transnational broker.”

As a “longtime friend” of the CCP, did Andrew’s success in China differ from Kissinger’s? In return, what did Andrew do? For instance, during Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan’s 2015 state visit to the UK, when they received high-level royal hospitality, did Andrew play a key intermediary role?

In fact, as early as 2021, UK security services warned about Andrew’s meetings with suspected CCP spy Yang Tengbo. According to The Daily Telegraph, Yang founded Hampton International Group in the UK and developed close ties with Prince Andrew. MI5 accused Yang of being a CCP member working for the United Front Work Department, tasked with intelligence collection. Documents extracted from Yang’s devices showed his significant role in Andrew’s affairs, including managing financial expectations and advancing business cooperation.

In 2023, Yang was banned from entering the UK on suspicion of conducting “covert and deceptive activities” on behalf of the CCP. The case sparked widespread public debate over royal family members’ ties to foreign powers and heightened concerns about CCP infiltration.

UK intelligence agencies have pointed out that through entities like the United Front Work Department, the CCP conducts global political infiltration, economic espionage, and technology theft. In 2022, security services alleged that lawyer Christine Lee had used her close ties with British politicians to gather intelligence for the CCP and influence UK policymaking. Lee was not prosecuted and later sued MI5 in July 2023 for labeling her a CCP agent.

There is a Chinese idiom meaning “inviting the wolf into the house.” Figures like Kissinger and Prince Andrew—who, for reasons of interest, voluntarily or involuntarily stand on the CCP’s platform—are not rare in political and business circles worldwide. What kind of shockwaves will the arrests of Mandelson and Prince Andrew bring to the United Kingdom?

(First published by People News) △