In a letter found on one of his devices, H6 told Prince Andrew’s adviser Dominic Hampshire: “Outside of (the prince’s) closest inner confidants, you are sitting at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like. be on.”
Mr Hampshire adds: “Under your guidance we have found a way to get the relevant people in and out of the house in Windsor undetected.”
No details about who these “relevant persons” are are provided in the excerpt from the letter contained in the ruling.
Mr Hampshire also confirmed to H6 that he could act on Prince Andrew’s behalf in talks “with potential partners and investors in China”.
A document was also found with a list of “main topics for conversation” with Prince Andrew.
It says: “IMPORTANT: Manage expectations. It is very important not to set expectations ‘too high’ – he is in a desperate position and will grab anything.”
The court found that this meant that H6 was able to “create relationships between high-ranking Chinese officials and prominent UK figures which could be exploited for the purposes of political interference by the Chinese state”.
The judges said the H6 had won “an extraordinary degree of trust from a senior member of the royal family who was willing to go into business with him”.
They added that the relationship took place at a time when the prince was “under considerable pressure” which “could have made him vulnerable to the abuse of such influence”.
Since late 2019, the Prince has faced increasing scrutiny over his friendship with the late American financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which included his infamous Newsnight interview in November of that year.
He renounced royal duties in November 2019, and the prince has been dogged by questions about his judgment and finances ever since.
Questions arose about Prince’s finances after he reached a settlement — believed to be in the millions — in a civil sexual-assault lawsuit brought against him by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s accusers. The prince has always denied attacking Ms Giuffre.
