This article is more than 10 months old

This article is more than 10 months old

A number of businesses, charities and educational organisations are severing or reconsidering their ties with Prince Andrew.

BT said on Wednesday it would no longer work with iDEA – the Duke of York Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award – while the duke was a patron of the scheme. The prince is reported to either be a patron of, or have an official role at, more than 200 charities, including two dozen that work mainly with children or young people.

Andrew’s entrepreneurial scheme Pitch@Palace faces an exodus of support from organisations seemingly fearing damage to their reputation if associated with the Queen’s second son.

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Pitch@Palace, which hosts pitching events for small companies, has removed its web page listing corporate supporters but companies have made public statements dissociating themselves from the organisation or announcing it would review their relationship.

Cutting ties

The accountancy firm KPMG, a founding Pitch@Palace partner, said on Monday that its sponsorship contract had expired at the end of October and would not be renewed.

On Tuesday, the banking services company Standard Chartered said it would not be renewing its sponsorship of Pitch@Palace – which claims to have generated more than 6,000 jobs – in December, citing “commercial reasons”.

The insurance company Aon asked for its logo to be removed from the Pitch@Palace website, saying it had never been involved in the scheme in any capacity.

Advertising Week Europe, another supporter of Pitch@Palace, was reported to not be inviting the latter to be part of its annual conference in March.

Murdoch University, in Perth, Australia, announced on Wednesday it had advised Buckingham Palace it would no longer participate in Pitch@Palace from next year. “We remain committed to supporting innovators and entrepreneurs,” a spokesman said. “However, in the current circumstances we have decided that our efforts in this area are best served through other means.”

Bond University, another Australian university, on the Gold Coast of Queensland, has said that although it was preparing to consider working again with Pitch@Palace in 2020, “in light of recent events, the university does not intend to seek any further involvement”.

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, in Australia, ended its involvement with Pitch@Palace in October and said it was committed to ensuring its campus remained “a safe and inclusive place to work and study”.

The telecommunications company Inmarsat is reported to be not renewing its sponsorship of Pitch@Palace.

The tech company Gravity Road, a supporter of Pitch@Palace, is another reported to be no longer working with the initiative.

The IT multinational Cisco ended its involvement with Pitch@Palace in June 2019.

Considering their position

The English National Ballet was asked to confirm whether Andrew would remain as patron after reports that senior figures within the institution were lobbying for him to be removed. A spokesperson said trustees were discussing the matter.

Andrew’s role as patron of the London Metropolitan University will be reviewed at a board of governors’ meeting next week. “The university opposes all forms of discrimination, abuse, human trafficking and any activity that is contrary to the university’s values,” it added.

A student panel at Huddersfield University has passed a motion to lobby the duke to resign as its chancellor. It read: “We as students at the University of Huddersfield and members of Huddersfield students’ union should not be represented by a man with ties to organised child sexual exploitation and assault.” However, a spokesman for the university defended Andrew, saying his “enthusiasm for innovation entrepreneurship is a natural fit with the work of the university” and cited his “emphatic” denial of the allegations.

The University of Wollongong, in Australia, has also said it is “currently undertaking an annual review of its future involvement in Pitch@Palace”.

The pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca’s three-year partnership with Pitch@Palace is due to expire at the end of this year and is being reviewed.

The educational charity Outward Bound Trust, which has a long association with the royal family, is holding a board meeting this week to discuss whether Andrew should remain in the role. The duke succeeded his father as patron this year. Prince Philip had had a 65-year relationship with the charity.

Hult International Business School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will complete its involvement in the current Pitch@Palace event early December, but it is reviewing its future involvement.

The Jubilee Sailing Trust, a charity encouraging people with disabilities to sail, will be discussing Andrew’s role as patron at a meeting of trustees next month.

Continuing sponsorship

Barclays Bank has recently renewed its sponsorship of the initiative, but is concerned about the situation and is keeping its involvement with Pitch@Palace under review.

The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, founded by easyJet’s Stelios Haji-Ioannou, is understood to be continuing its support for Pitch@Palace for the time being.

Asked how many companies had ended or were reviewing their ties with Andrew, Buckingham Palace said this would be a matter for those organisations. “HRH’s future engagements are announced weekly on social media by his team on his Facebook page,” a spokesperson added.