Prince Andrew’s ‘opaque’ finances provoke calls for register of royal interests
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Claims of refused FOI requests into Duke of York’s business dealings come as controversy over alleged Chinese spy continues. Getting information from government departments about the Duke of York’s past business dealings is like playing “whack-a-mole”, it was claimed, as fallout over the alleged Chinese “spy” controversy continues, with China saying it was an attempt to “smear” it.
Calling for a register of royal interests, similar to that for MPs, and a full inquiry by the public accounts committee into royal finances, researchers trying to investigate Prince Andrew’s “opaque” finances claim their freedom of information (FoI) requests are regularly refused, making their work “impossible”.
The calls follow the naming of Yang Tengbo, 50, as the businessman and confidant of Prince Andrew who was excluded from the UK in 2023 on the grounds that it was “conducive to the public good”. Yang denies being a Chinese spy, and the Chinese embassy in London has accused some UK parliamentarians of having a “twisted mentality towards China” and of trying to “smear China”.
Also known as Christopher Yang, according to court documents the businessman was so close to Andrew he was authorised to act on his behalf in an international financial initiative with potential partners and investors in China. As the spotlight falls again on the duke’s finances, Andrew Lownie, whose book Entitled: The Controversial Lives of the Duke and Duchess of York is out next year, said: “I’ve put in about 100 FoI requests over the last four years.”.
