The businessman has been banned from Britain on security grounds but is understood to have visited Buckingham Palace and met two former Prime Ministers

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.

The royal family is unusual in many respects, and punishing people by not allowing them to go to church is one of their oddities. Such a sorry fate potentially awaits Prince Andrew, with speculation rife that King Charles may distance himself from his brother on Christmas Day amid controversy that Andrew allegedly befriended a Chinese spy.