Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is embroiled in a new scandal after meeting Cai Qi, a Chinese official accused of orchestrating a major intelligence-gathering operation targeting British MPs, three times in 2018 and 2019. Photographs show Andrew, a former UK trade envoy, posing with Cai during events aimed at fostering a “golden era” in China-UK relations.
Prosecutors allege Cai managed sensitive information passed by former parliamentary researchers Christopher Berry and Christopher Cash, though both deny wrongdoing, and their case collapsed when the government declined to label China an “enemy.”
The meetings occurred during a May 2018 goodwill visit by a Chinese Communist Party delegation, where Cai also met figures like Sadiq Khan, Nicola Sturgeon, and Jeremy Corbyn, and during Andrew’s trips to China in June 2018 and April 2019.
This follows previous scrutiny of Andrew’s ties to another Chinese official barred from the UK. MI5 Director General Ken McCallum expressed frustration over the case’s collapse, warning that Chinese state actors pose a daily threat to UK national security, though the alleged espionage was disrupted.
