Andrew’s ‘Dragon’s Den’ type start-up enterprise Pitch@Palace is wound down after disgraced royal stripped of prince titles
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has wound down his ‘Dragon’s Den‘ style start-up business Pitch@Palace, marking another phase in his retreat from public life.
Buckingham Palace announced last month that the former Duke of York, 65, would have all of his royal titles stripped over his links to late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
In an unprecedented statement, the Palace said ‘censures [were] deemed necessary’ amid the growing controversy surrounding his relationship with the financier, with whom Andrew lied about cutting ties.
Within hours, the former royal was erased from the Roll of the Peerage, and it was revealed he could face a private prosecution over allegations of sexual assault, corruption and misconduct in public office.
In a further blow for the former prince, Andrew has applied to close the commercial arm of Pitch@Palace Global Ltd, which survived his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019 while other interests folded.
In reality, the business was on borrowed time and stopped its competition format in the same year.
And by 2021, the UK branch of the company had closed as controversy swirled surrounding Andrew’s friendship with Epstein.
Pitch@Palace followed the format of the hit BBC show Dragon’s Den-style, encouraging budding entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas to potential investors.
It was seen as a way to provide Andrew with a stream of income, after the King stopped supporting him financially.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, pictured in September, has wound down his ‘Dragon’s Den’ style start-up business Pitch@Palace
Participants would compete for funding and the opportunity to reach a final staged at St James’s Palace.
A Companies House notice shows Pitch@Palace Global Ltd’s one remaining director – Arthur Lancaster – has applied to strike off the company and have it dissolved.
Mr Lancaster is a business associate of Doug Barrowman and Baroness Mone who are embroiled in controversy over the roll-out of PPE during the Covid pandemic.
Days earlier, the firm publicly removed Andrew’s former Duke of York title from the register where he was listed as a ‘person of significant control’.
Pitch@Palace, set up in 2017, once won the ex-Prince plaudits for helping to get young people into business, claiming it had a ‘strong ecosystem with 1,000+ entrepreneurs from 64 countries globally’
Accounts filed recently showed the company had no staff and its assets had slumped from £257,286 to just £12,000.
The closing document said: ‘This company has applied to be struck off and dissolved. The registrar will proceed unless there is reasonable cause not to, and on dissolution any assets remaining in the company will be passed to the Crown.’
A deal for Dutch company, Startup Bootcamp, to purchase Andrew’s company fell through in March despite it admitting it saw ‘immense value’ in the business.
A Companies House notice shows Pitch@Palace Global Ltd’s one remaining director – Arthur Lancaster – has applied to strike off the company and have it dissolved
Andrew pictured with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson in September. The pair are spending their final days at Royal Lodge largely apart, after the former Duke was stripped of his royal titles
It comes as Innovate Global Ltd, another business with tight links to the disgraced prince, began closing down on Tuesday.
It’s the latest humiliation for Andrew whose life as a royal has fallen apart at blistering speed in the last fortnight.
Andrew, who has vehemently denied the accusations against him, is also being booted from Royal Lodge, his and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson’s 30-room home in Windsor, where he paid ‘peppercorn rent’ over 20 years, having purchased a 75 year lease on the property for £1million in 2003
He will move out of the residence to a property on the Sandringham estate as soon as practically possible but the specifics regarding the relocation are unknown.
But, in the meantime, Andrew and his ex-wife have been making the most of their final days at their longtime home – by sleeping at opposite ends and only meeting for meal-times to chat about how the walls continue to cave in around them, The Sun reports.
A source was quoted as saying: ‘They are both spending a lot of time alone.
‘Andrew rarely goes out and has been padding around the lodge and ranting and muttering.’
Meanwhile, Ferguson, 66, whiles away the hours at purpose-built bar called The Doghouse which sits behind the mansion, the Sun reported.
Pictured: Royal Lodge. Andrew will now move into a property on the private Sandringham estate and it’s understood any accommodation he lives in will be privately funded by The King
Andrew and Fergie pictured with their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. The family are said to remain close
She has been baring her soul to friends and staff, who she has been asking to stay extra hours to keep her company, at the on-site pub.
They still unite for meals, where they chat about their futures and their safety, thanks to Andrew’s links to Epstein, according to the latest claims.
Last week, Andrew was ordered to appear in front of Congress to explain his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Democrat members of the House Oversight Committee sent the disgraced royal a letter on Thursday saying they believe he possesses important information about people with links to the late financier’s crimes.
It read: ‘The Oversight Committee will investigate allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s operations, network, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship.’
Robert Garcia, the most senior Democrat figure on the committee, added: ‘Rich and powerful men have evaded justice for far too long.
‘Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and provide justice for the survivors.’
In Thursday’s letter, the Democrat committee members say Andrew’s friendship with Epstein started in 1999 and they stayed close friends following his conviction nine years later for procuring minors for prostitution.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – as he is now known – has for many years been dogged by allegations he sexually abused Virginia Giuffre after she was trafficked by Epstein, which he strenuously denies.
Ms Giuffre alleged she was forced to have sex three times with Andrew, including when she was 17 and also during an orgy, after she was trafficked by Epstein.
Andrew paid millions to settle the civil sex case with her in 2022, despite insisting he had never met her.
In some rare good news, his daughter Princess Beatrice landed a major charity role amid the growing scandal engulfing her family.
His elder daughter has become deputy patron of The Outward Bound Trust, an organisation encouraging young people to spend time outdoors.
She joins her uncle Prince Edward, who was announced as the royal patron of the charity at a special event at St James’s Palace on Thursday.
Beatrice, 37, has already been a trustee of The Outward Bound Trust since 2019 – the same year the charity accepted Andrew’s resignation as patron following his disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, having supported the then Duke for decades.
Andrew himself took on the role from his father, Prince Philip, who was patron for 65 years, with many believing it was the charity closest to his heart.
It comes after it emerged that Beatrice, who is ninth in line to the throne, and her sister Princess Eugenie, who is 12th, will retain their titles as the walls cave in around their father Andrew.
Amid the controversy Charles is said to be very keen to ‘protect’ nieces Beatrice and Eugenie, 35, who remain Her Royal Highnesses as granddaughters of Queen Elizabeth.
‘He wouldn’t have wanted to sign off on anything that would impact them,’ a source told the Daily Mail.
‘His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,’ the palace said.
In 2019, following Andrew’s calamitous Newsnight interview where he discussed his friendship with Epstein, The Outbound Trust became the second charity to accept his resignation.
