Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, has applied to dissolve his remaining business interests, including the Dragons' Den-style startup competition Pitch@Palace Global. A document filed with Companies House on Tuesday, signed by sole director Arthur Lancaster, announced the application to wind up the firm.
Pitch@Palace held its first event in 2014, where entrepreneurs presented ideas to investors at locations such as St James's Palace. The UK side of the business was wound up in 2021, but the international arm, Pitch@Palace Global, remained operational until now. The latest accounts showed the business had £10,965 at the end of March, down from £220,990 the previous year.
The business suspended operations in 2019 following Prince Andrew's BBC Newsnight interview about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in which he denied any sexual contact with Virginia Giuffre. Last month, King Charles stripped his brother of his titles and honours amid ongoing pressure over his ties to Epstein and the allegations. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.
Another company linked to the former prince, Innovate Global Ltd, has also begun the process of closing down, according to Companies House filings. The founder of the Chinese arm of Pitch@Palace, Yang Tengbo, was accused of being a spy last year, which he denied. The UK's special immigration appeals commission upheld a 2023 ban on Tengbo entering the country.
It is understood that Andrew, 65, will move next year to a property on the private Sandringham estate in Norfolk, privately funded by the King. His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also move out of the Windsor property and make her own living arrangements. Both Mountbatten Windsor and Lancaster were contacted for comment.
