From prince to pariah: Andrew's never-ending fall from grace

It has been a spectacular fall from grace - and one that never seems to end.

- Guardian staff

It has been a spectacular fall from grace, and one that never seems to end. From party prince to a royal pariah, the images of the handsome young pilot returning from combat in the Falklands have well and truly faded.

The stripping of Andrew's military roles and royal patronages had seemed to mark a nadir for the Queen's second son following the revelations over his relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But the scandals just kept coming.

To add to the roll-call of embarrassments, someone he regarded as a "confidant" has been barred from the UK - a decision upheld on appeal - amid fears he could be a Chinese spy.

The businessman, judges said on Thursday, appeared to have secured an "unusual degree of trust from a senior member of the royal family who was prepared to enter into business activities with him."

Tom Tugendhat, the Conservative MP for Tonbridge who served in the Cabinet as minister of state for security under the previous government, said the episode was "extremely embarrassing".

"The United Front Work Department, which is a branch of the Communist party, is seeking influence across the UK in everything across social, academic, financial, industrial, and various other ways," he said.

"It demonstrates I'm afraid that the Chinese state is extremely clear that its ambition is to secure influence over foreign countries."