Yang Tengbo: Who is alleged Chinese spy linked to Prince Andrew?

Those documents showed Yang had received a letter from a senior adviser to Prince Andrew, Dominic Hampshire, who had confirmed to Yang he could act on behalf of the prince in engagements with potential partners and investors in China.

Mr Hampshire also told Yang in a letter: "Outside of [the prince's] closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on."

It is unclear if this was a true assertion put forward by Mr Hampshire, who has not spoken publicly since being named in the ruling.

But the Home Office assessed this as evidence that Yang was in a position to "generate relationships between prominent UK figures and senior Chinese officials" which "could be leveraged for political interference purposes" by Beijing.

A document listing "main talking points" for a call with Prince Andrew was also found.

It stated: "IMPORTANT: Manage expectations. Really important to not set 'too high' expectations - he is in a desperate situation and will grab onto anything."

Judges also argued that Yang had "downplayed" his links with the UFWD, which they said "combined with his relationship with the Duke represented a threat to national security".

Prince Andrew said he "ceased all contact" with Yang after receiving advice from the government, but did not specify when communication stopped.

In a statement, his office said the prince had met Yang "through official channels" and there was "nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed".