Buckingham Palace issued an unusual remark on Prince Andrew.

Following Dominic Hampshire’s written evidence, a former top assistant to the Duke of York, the palace clarified the secret meetings between Hampshire, Andrew, and his older brother, King Charles.

Hampshire testified before an employment tribunal that the brothers discussed the Eurasia Fund, a Prince Andrew project aiming to integrate Chinese financing with renewable energy projects in Africa.

Investigators have recently probed Prince Andrew and the Eurasia Fund for connections to a suspected Chinese spy. Yang Tengbo—previously known only by his pseudonym, “H6″—was considered Andrew’s close confidant until he was prevented from visiting the United Kingdom in December 2024 due to national security concerns.

The palace stated during Prince Andrew’s recent meetings with the King: “While His Majesty met with the Duke and his adviser to hear outline proposals for independent funding over the past year, the individual known as H6 was not mentioned at any time or in any way as part of these discussions.”

Following the incident, the Duke did not attend King Charles’ customary Christmas luncheon or the royal family’s Christmas reunion at Sandringham last year.

At the time, royal writer Ingrid Seward told PEOPLE that Prince Andrew would have discussed the situation with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, as well as his children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, both of whom have been protective and devoted to him despite years of public scrutiny.

“Despite [the Duchess’] mistakes in the past, she understands how things will play out socially. She would ask him to stay away. Beatrice would have supported her decision,” Seward remarked.

Since his widely criticized 2019 Newsnight interview regarding his alleged links to Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew has stepped aside from his obligations as a working royal and has gotten involved in projects such as the Eurasia Fund. Prince Andrew has denied all wrongdoing.

His mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, stripped him of military titles and patronages during Virginia Giuffre’s civil sexual assault action, which was resolved out of court, but it was King Charles who eventually cut his brother off financially.

The royal author Robert Hardman writes in his book Charles III: New King, New Court. According to The Inside Story, Prince Andrew rejected his elder brother’s 2024 suggestion to relocate from the Royal Lodge in Windsor to the “considerably smaller property” of Frogmore Cottage.

Prince Andrew has lived at the Royal Lodge since 2003 and has spent significant time and money remodeling the 31-room home with the Duchess of York, who stays close to her ex despite their divorce in 1996.

After Prince Andrew declined his offer, King Charles reduced his $1.3 million yearly personal stipend and stopped paying for personal protection. However, Andrew was determined to stay.

According to the Sunday Times, the Duke of York has secured the funds required to continue living at the Royal Lodge by November 2024. Sir Michael Stevens, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, verified that the cash came from authorized sources, and he and Fergie have kept their royal family property.