Prince Andrew’s former senior adviser made a “mystifying” and “very bad decision” when he provided a legal statement for the case of an alleged Chinese spy, without taking any legal advice.
An immigration tribunal heard how Dominic Hampshire displayed a “lack of common sense” when he agreed to give evidence for Yang Tengbo, who was banned from the UK in 2023 due to security concerns.
The court heard how the intelligence services had contacted Mr Hampshire about Mr Yang back in 2022.
Mr Yang was a “close confidante” of the Duke of York. The pair worked together but also met socially, including at events held at royal residences.
Mr Yang helped set up Pitch@Palace China, a branch of the duke’s scheme to help young entrepreneurs.
Judges banned Mr Yang from the UK, saying his association with a senior royal had made Prince Andrew “vulnerable” and posed a threat to national security.
Mr Yang challenged that decision at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).
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A bid has been made to have several documents from that challenge made public, including a statement provided by Mr Hampshire.
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His lawyers argued he only agreed to the statement on the understanding it would remain private. They said he wouldn’t have given some of the evidence if he’d known it would be made public.
It is yet to be revealed exactly what is in the statement, although court papers say it contains information about the Duke of York which is “private, personal, sensitive and confidential”.
Read more: Who is Yang Tengbo?
Prince Andrew has since said he cut off all ties with Mr Yang after “concerns were raised”.
Mr Yang says the allegations against him are “entirely untrue”. He says the description of him as a spy is false and insists he has done “nothing wrong or unlawful”.
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Mr Yang and Mr Hampshire are fighting to keep the documents and redactions withheld from the public.
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Mr Yang’s legal team said disclosing the documents “would not enhance public understanding” of the case.
Judges at the tribunal have reserved their judgment for a later date.
