Britain's Prince Andrew was facing intense media scrutiny on Saturday after revelations that a close Chinese business associate of the scandal-hit younger brother of King Charles was thought by the British government to be a Chinese spy.

A London immigration court upheld a ban on a Chinese citizen described as a “close confidant” of the prince’s, on the grounds of national security.

Prince Andrew invited an alleged Chinese spy into Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace and Windsor Castle. The Chinese businessman, 50, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was invited into Buckingham Palace twice,