LONDON — How do you solve a problem like Prince Andrew?
That's the question facing King Charles III as the drama surrounding his 64-year-old brother roils Britain and the monarchy once again.
In the latest episode, a Chinese businessman has been barred from the U.K. because of concerns he cultivated links with Andrew in an alleged effort to influence British elites on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. The man, identified Monday as Yang Tengbo, said he wasn't involved in espionage and had ''done nothing wrong or unlawful.''
The allegations represent the most high-profile example to date of a threat intelligence officials have repeatedly warned about: China's increasing efforts to secretly influence politicians and other members of the British establishment to support the country's expansionist policies.
But the story also made news because it involves Andrew, once second-in-line to the British throne but now a constant source of tabloid fodder because of his money woes and links to questionable characters, including the late American financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Queen Elizabeth II stripped Andrew of his royal duties and charity roles, but the unflattering headlines kept coming. More recently, Charles has tried to persuade his brother to cut his expenses by leaving the sprawling royal estate he occupies west of London and moving to a cottage inside the security perimeter of Windsor Castle. But Andrew remains ensconced at the 30-room Royal Lodge.
The king needs to take more aggressive action to keep Andrew out of the public eye, such as barring him from processions and other royal events, said Ed Owens, author of ''After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?''
While Andrew said in a statement that nothing sensitive was ever discussed and that he ceased contact with the Chinese businessman as soon as concerns were raised, his constant brushes with scandal tarnish the work of the royal family, Owens said.
