Prince Andrew will be conspicuously absent from the royal family’s Christmas this year as he faces intense scrutiny over links to an alleged Chinese spy.

On Tuesday (AEDT) it emerged that the King’s younger brother would not join the royals for the traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham after the latest embarrassment.

British media are reporting that Andrew was privately asked to withdraw himself from the annual get-together to avoid becoming a distraction.

He will instead reportedly celebrate Christmas at his home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, with ex-wife Sarah, the Duchess of York.

The ban comes as a Chinese businessman that the Duke of York was linked to — and who is accused of spying in Britain — was unmasked as Yang Tengbo.

Tengbo’s identity was revealed with the Chinese man’s agreement as he sought to clear his name.

In a statement, Tengbo said he was a “victim” of the current political climate.

“Due to the high level of speculation and misreporting in the media and elsewhere, I have asked my legal team to disclose my identity,” he said.

“I have done nothing wrong or unlawful and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are ill-founded.

“The widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue.”

Tengbo said he was an “independent self-made entrepreneur” who aimed to foster partnerships and build bridges between East and West.

“I built my private life in the UK over two decades and love the country as my second home. I would never do anything to harm the interests of the UK.”

Prince Andrew says he has ceased all contact with business associate Yang Tengbo. Photo: Yahoo News

It was revealed on Saturday that the British government believed Yengbo — then known only as H6 — to be a Chinese spy.

In a court ruling on Thursday, Yengbo was banned from Britain on national security grounds because authorities suspected he was working clandestinely for Beijing to forge close contacts with prominent British figures.

Late on Friday, the Duke of York, issued a statement to the BBC and other media in which he said he had “ceased all contact” with H6, described in the court documents as a “close confidant”, once concerns were raised.

“The duke met the individual through official channels, with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed,” the statement said.

However, questions about the case have continued to dominate British front pages and news broadcasts.

The Daily Telegraph reported that British intelligence agency MI5 was investigating Chinese money given to Andrew, while the Times said the prince had invited the businessman to the royal properties Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle.

The Mirror reported that the King had been briefed by MI5 and was “truly exasperated” by the situation.

A royal source told Reuters that Buckingham Palace had been kept informed of the situation in the appropriate ways and at the appropriate junctures.

While British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sought to thaw ties with China since taking office in July, London and Beijing have repeatedly traded spying accusations, with British security services warning of Chinese attempts to infiltrate political, business and academic spheres.

The Chinese embassy in London described the H6 case as another attempt to smear China and sabotage normal working relationships.

The case also shines a light on the finances of the 64-year-old prince.

Andrew, once a dashing naval officer who served in the military during the Falklands War with Argentina in the early 1980s, has become a royal pariah over his friendship with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

He was forced to step down from a roving UK trade ambassador role in 2011, before quitting all royal duties in 2019 and then being stripped of his military links and royal patronages in 2022 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has always denied.

British media have reported the King had cut off his allowance and wanted to oust his brother from his Royal Lodge home on the Windsor estate.

The court papers about H6, who had been authorised to act for Andrew to seek investors in China, referred to a 2021 document listing talking points for a call between him and the prince in which he wrote the duke was “in a desperate situation and will grab onto anything”.

-with AAP