Former aide to Duke of York quits troubled royal project

THE Duke of York’s former private secretary has cut all ties with his flagship Dragons’ Den- style business project.

Amanda Thirsk announced yesterday that she had resigned as CEO of Pitch@palace, five months after it was thrown into disarray by Prince Andrew’s disastrous Newsnight interview about his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The interview, which led to the Duke’s effective sacking from royal duties, is understood to have been Ms Thirsk’s idea. As a result, Pitch@palace directors insisted that either the Duke cut his ties with the project showcasing entrepreneurs or they would.

The charitable arm of the project was wound up and what remained of the beleaguered brand was moved out of its Buckingham Palace base and now operates from an office in London.

Despite having lost her job as his longtime private secretary, Ms Thirsk stayed at the helm in a bid to salvage what was left of its global arm, alongside Johan Eliasch, a Swedish sports tycoon and close friend of the Duke.

She emailed supporters yesterday to confirm that she had quit.

“I wanted to let you know that I have resigned as CEO, as I have accepted a new role to move forward with the next stage of my career,” she said.

She said the project, founded by the Duke in 2014, is to be rebranded as Pitch Connect and a new director would be appointed.

Sources said the Duke had had little to do with the initiative in recent months, with any future involvement unclear. The Daily Telegraph reported last month that the Pitch@palace website had removed references to him.