By Katherine Tinsley
5:26pm PDT, Oct 17, 2025
_
Prince Andrew, who previously was a U.K. trade envoy, and Cai Qi conducted meetings throughout 2018 and 2019, where they were reportedly working on "jointly building a golden era in China-UK relations."
_
It was reported that Prince Andrew snapped a photo with Cai Qi, who was accused of being a "spymaster" looking to obtain information on Westminster.
MI5 director general Ken McCallum addressed the case's collapse at the organization's headquarters. "Of course, I am frustrated when opportunities to prosecute national security threatening activity are not followed through, for whatever reason," he said.
_
"I would invite everyone to not miss the fact that this was a strong disruption in the interest of the U.K.'s national security," Ken McCallum continued.
_
Prince Andrew's questionable relationships with alleged spies first became public concern when it was revealed he had ties to Yang Tengbo.
While Tengbo called the reports of him being a secret agent "entirely untrue," their business dealings continue to leave a stain on Andrew's reputation.
