On another hugely damaging day for the Duke of York, accountancy firm KPMG said it was protecting its reputation by ending sponsorship of his business start-up project.

Insurance giant Aon asked for its name be removed from the scheme’s website and drugs maker Astrazeneca said it was reviewing its relationship.

Prince Andrew (pictured during a Pitch@Palace event in November 2015) is facing a furious backlash as companies consider their relationship with the Duke 

The drugs giant Astrazeneca is considering its links to the Duke of York’s Pitch@Palace following his Newsnight interview 

A string of major companies and charities are also examining their links with Andrew after his extraordinary TV interview on Saturday.

The Outward Bound Trust, which has the prince’s daughter Beatrice as a trustee, is holding a special meeting this week to discuss the issue.

Andrew appeared on BBC Newsnight to answer questions about his relationship with Epstein, a paedophile billionaire who killed himself in jail.

The interview went down spectacularly badly however and the backlash grew yesterday when an Epstein victim went public at a dramatic press conference. She said the financier had tried to lure her to his private island by saying Andrew was there.

Her lawyer joined the international clamour for Andrew to face the US authorities and tell them everything he knows. As representatives of other victims made the same demand:

• Prosecutors in France said Andrew should travel to Paris to face questions about his stay at a mansion flat that Epstein owned there;
• Labour and the Lib Dems added to the pressure on Andrew, with one frontbencher calling on him to give evidence to American investigators;
• The prince was mired in fresh controversy for allegedly using the n-word – a claim he strongly denied – at a Buckingham Palace meeting with government officials;
• Students at the University of Huddersfield announced they will vote on a motion to lobby Andrew to resign as chancellor;
• A poll found that just 6 per cent of the public believe his explanation for his relationship with Epstein.

Sources today said the Royal Family has been left reeling by the fallout from the BBC interview and the renewed criticism from Epstein’s victims.

While insiders were keen not to be seen to be criticising Andrew, it was clear that his wider family were ‘aghast’ at the interview and the subsequent reaction. ‘People are shaking their heads and wondering where to go from here,’ said one.

The insurance giant has insisted that its name is removed from Pitch@Palace’s website

Another former royal aide has called for the prince to ‘take a sabbatical’ before irreversible damage is done to the charities and organisations he works with.

Questions remain as to how much the Queen knew and whether she sanctioned the interview. Palace officials repeated their line that she had been ‘aware’ of the interview but refused to be drawn on whether she had approved it.

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On a disastrous day for the eighth in line to the throne pressure centred on the charity that he sees as a lifeline to repairing his public reputation.

During Saturday’s ‘make or break’ appearance on BBC’s Newsnight, Andrew flagged Pitch@Palace – a Dragons’ Den-style scheme for entrepreneurs – as a vital way of reconnecting with the public following the scandal. 

Source – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/

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