A tribunal has ruled that a witness statement by Prince Andrew's senior aide must be made public, despite claims it was provided on the understanding it would remain confidential.
The statement by Dominic Hampshire was part of a case involving Yang Tengbo, who was excluded from the UK on national security grounds last year.
Three judges at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) decided on Friday that the principles of open justice outweighed expectations of discretion in royal dealings.
Media organisations had challenged attempts to keep the document private.
Prince Andrew aide loses fight to keep witness statement secret
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Yang Tengbo, who has previously stated he had "done nothing wrong or unlawful", was excluded from the UK by then-home secretary Suella Braverman in March 2023.
The businessman unsuccessfully challenged this decision at SIAC, with judges finding he was a "close confidant" of Prince Andrew who had "won a significant degree, one could say an unusual degree, of trust" from the duke.
UK authorities alleged Yang formed relationships with politicians that could be "leveraged" by China. Yang has maintained the spy allegations against him are "entirely untrue".
Dominic Hampshire, a close friend of the duke, provided the witness statement following Yang's exclusion from the UK.
Yang Tengbo (centre) is accused of spying for ChinaReuters
At a February hearing, Hampshire claimed he was not warned his evidence might become public, stating: "I would never have agreed to submit a witness statement, much less go into the level of confidential detail which I did."
His lawyers argued he had been "assured" by Yang's legal team that the statement would remain confidential.
Adam Wolanski KC, representing media organisations, said it was "bewildering" that Hampshire had not sought his own legal advice.
In a 25-page judgment, Mr Justice Bourne said: "Substantial parts of the witness statement contain material which cannot possibly be said to be confidential."
Yang Tengbo voluntarily waived his right to anonymitymfa.govThe tribunal noted the statement contained comments about Hampshire's work with the duke "which might seem embarrassing or indiscreet" but did not give rise to confidentiality obligations.
"Where access is sought for proper journalistic purposes, the case for disclosure is particularly strong," the judgment stated.
This principle outweighed the expectation of discretion in Royal Family dealings, despite Hampshire not providing evidence of any contractual confidentiality obligations.
Documents previously released in the case revealed Hampshire had thanked Yang for standing by Andrew following his controversial Newsnight interview about Jeffrey Epstein.
Yang Tengbo, an alleged Chinese spy, has been described as a 'close confidant' of Prince AndrewGB NewsIn a March 2020 letter on Buckingham Palace stationery, Hampshire told Yang: "You sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on."
The letter also referenced Yang's invitation to Andrew's 60th birthday party that year. Hampshire described this as "strictly his and his family's personal life that very, very few people have the privilege to ever be a part of."
The tribunal also ruled that "almost all" commercial information related to Yang's business dealings should be disclosed.
Mr Justice Bourne said: "We consider that there is a substantial public interest in reporting of international trading activity involving UK companies and in any involvement of any member of the royal family in that activity."
The judges ordered that the documents should be provided to the press by April 4. Only minimal redactions will be made, with personal information about Yang remaining confidential due to "substantial risk of disclosure causing serious harm".
