Britain's Prince Andrew sent Chinese President Xi Jinping a letter on his birthday every year as part of a "communication channel" to support the British royal's platform for entrepreneurs, according to court documents published on Friday.
The documents came to light following a legal challenge brought by Chinese businessman Yang Tengbo, who was described as a "close confidant" of Andrew and was banned from Britain on the grounds he was a suspected Chinese spy.
Yang, who has said that "the widespread description of me as a 'spy' is entirely untrue", is appealing against the rejection of his challenge to the decision to ban him from the country.
Documents released by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission on Friday included a witness statement provided by Dominic Hampshire, who became Andrew's senior advisor in 2019.
Hampshire said in the statement that Andrew had regular communication with China's Xi in relation to the prince's Pitch@Palace initiative to encourage entrepreneurs.
"The Duke has always had a communication channel with the President, largely to support the success of Pitch@Palace in China, and this was never hidden," Hampshire said.
He added: "The Duke sends a letter to the President for his birthday each year.
"The Royal Household, including the late Queen were fully aware of this communication – it was certainly accepted, and it may be fair to say that perhaps even encouraged – it was an open channel of communication that was useful to have."
Hampshire's witness statement also said that, in late 2023 and early 2024, he had two meetings with Andrew and King Charles about an international financial initiative, after Yang was banned from Britain.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in a statement: "While His Majesty (Charles) met with The Duke and his adviser to hear outline proposals for independent funding over the past year, the individual known as H6 (Yang) was not mentioned at any time or in any way as part of these discussions."
Buckingham Palace no longer comments on matters relating to Andrew, who was removed from royal duties by the palace in 2022, and Reuters was unable to reach him or a representative for comment.
The latest royal wrongdoing
Andrew, 65, the eighth in line to the throne, was once a dashing naval officer who served in the military during the Falklands War with Argentina in the early 1980s.
But he has since become a royal pariah over his friendship with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
He was forced to step down from a roving UK trade ambassador role in 2011, and then from public duties in 2019, although he has always denied any accusations of wrongdoing. In 2022, the royal family removed his military links and royal patronages.
Yang was banned from Britain after the contents of his phone were downloaded when he was stopped under counter-terrorism laws at a UK border in 2021.
This revealed that Andrew authorised Yang to set up the Eurasia Fund to engage with potential partners and investors in China, according to a December ruling.