Sponsors pull support for Prince Andrew’s networking group amid interview fallout

Prince Andrew’s future role within the Royal Family is in doubt as his backers pull their support.

Sponsors have begun deserting Prince Andrew following his excruciating television interview on Saturday night, putting pressure on his future role within the Royal Family.

Andrew’s Pitch@Palace – a series of entrepreneur networking events – has been rocked by the decision of KPMG, the global accounting giant, not to renew its foundation sponsorship contract.

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Another big corporation Astra Zeneca is also reviewing its association with Pitch@Palace. Andrew’s friendship with the American billionaire financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the allegations Epstein demanded his sex-slave Virginia Roberts Giuffre have sex with the royal on three occasions, has commercial backers of Andrew’s charities becoming nervous of being associated with him.

Students at the University of Huddersfield are currently considering a motion demanding Andrew step aside as the university chancellor. The Outward Bound trust is planning a special board meeting this week to discuss Andrew’s patronage.

Royal sources reported that the Queen was continuing to stand by her favourite son and third child although there has been confusion whether Her Majesty had approved the interview, held in the Blue Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace.

Royal aides say that Andrew will continue his duties as normal, despite royal experts saying he should withdraw from public life for some time.

Dickie Arbiter, the former Royal media advisor told The Sun: “What charity wants a VIP guest with this hanging over him?”

Prince Charles, who has wanted to streamline the royal civil list when he becomes King, is finding his current tour of New Zealand overshadowed by the Andrew scandal.

The BBC interview was watched by 2.5 million people in the UK on Saturday night and Andrew went to church with the Queen on Sunday morning telling her it’s all been a great success.

Prince Andrew claimed in a BBC interview that he attended the Woking branch of Pizza Express with his daughter Beatrice on the night Virginia Roberts has alleged he was with her. Picture: Getty Images

But US lawyers acting for Epstein’s victims say Andrew now has to give evidence under oath about what he knew of Epstein’s activities — putting the Royal in a difficult position about travelling to the United States in future.

There has been a clamour of fury about Andrew’s pompousness in the interview.

Andrew reasoned he saw Epstein after he his conviction was because he was being “too honourable”, adding that he had no regret about his friendship with Epstein.

Viewers remain perplexed why Andrew would go to Epstein’s New York house for at least four nights to break off their friendship — some four years after not contacting him. There has also been a backlash because Andrew didn’t show any concern for Epstein’s victims.

Andrew’s less than convincing argument that he couldn’t recall Ms Giuffre and that nothing happened, as well as not being able to recall the photograph being taken of the two of them together, has also failed to convince the British public.

Illustration: John Spooner

Andrew began Pitch@Palace in 2014 to bring together start ups with potential backers. The Pitch@Palace website says it “gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to meet the people who can help make their business dreams become a reality” amid claims it has assisted 1042 entrepreneurs in 64 counties with £1345m ($2.5bn) of economic activity and created 6323 jobs.

Last year the Perth medical company OncoRes medical won the international final to help raise $15m of funding to develop imaging for breast cancer surgery.