PRINCE ANDREW FORCED TO SCRAP MID EAST TRIP
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PRINCE Andrew was forced to pull out of a trip to Bahrain for his Pitch@Palace initiative last night as the fallout over his disastrous TV interview continued.
The Duke of York – who has had to withdraw from public duties and give up his £249,000 allowance – was due in the oil-rich state at the weekend.
But it became the latest blank space in his diary since he defended his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein and failed to express sympathy for the US financier’s victims in the BBC’s Newsnight interview on Saturday.
A source said: “His position had become such a distraction that the only decision was for him to not go.”
Sponsors including Standard Chartered and KPMG have already pulled their support for Pitch@Palace over the scandal, and a source close to another sponsor said Andrew could not continue his association with the charity.
The source said: “To say you’re stepping back from public life but then carry on is not a tenable position by the
palace, and I think the sponsor shares that view. We really want the programme to succeed but if it’s going to continue to have reputational problems then we’ll have to walk away from our contract.”
It came after Andrew was forced to step down from two of his most treasured roles yesterday – as patron of the Outward Bound Trust and chancellor of the University of Huddersfield. Huddersfield University Student Union, which voted for Andrew to leave his role there, said: “Students will welcome this decision.”
Andrew became patron of Outward Bound this year, taking over from his father Prince Philip, 98, who had been in the role since 1953. A source said yesterday’s move was a “bitter blow for the family”.
Royal sources confirmed the Duke will begin to transition the UK arm of the Pitch@ Palace project from his own charitable trust to a private venture so he can continue working.
A royal insider said: “The has least Epstein stepped until thinking case his away is name is concluded, as from he is cleared public he will life, or not the at take his own any public private funds ventures so can that work are on privately funded.”
Andrew had been able to claim public money from the Sovereign Grant when previously working on Pitch in the UK as it was “seen as a force for good and part of his duty”. But now he will have to
rely on handouts from the Queen from her personal fortune via the Duchy of Lancaster. Buckingham Palace said: “He will continue to work on Pitch but will look at how to do that outside and entirely separate from the palace.”
Yesterday, it was claimed Prince Charles had “pulled the trigger” on his brother for the good of the family.
A palace source said: “Charles was kept abreast of every development and was in no mood to delay any further. The message was clear: Andrew would have to go and immediately as the whole
episode was heaping further embarrassment on the family.”
The account of events that Andrew gave in his Newsnight interview has been further called into question with the claim he held a secret meeting with Epstein’s ex-girlfriend and alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell in London two weeks after US prosecutors announced they wanted to reopen their investigation into Epstein.
The meeting allegedly took place on or about June 5, the day before Maxwell took part in a four-day charity motoring rally from London to Monte Carlo. It is thought to be the
last time Maxwell came to Britain.
Her whereabouts are unknown. She has denied all wrongdoing.
Britain’s ex-consul general in New York also cast doubt on Andrew’s claim he stayed with him and not Epstein in 2001 when he was accused of having sex with 17-year-old Virginia Roberts, which the Prince denies. Sir Thomas Harris, who served in New York from 1999 to 2004, said he had “no recollection” of the prince staying at his official residence during the trip.
Andrew had been due in Bahrain this weekend in preparation for a “boot camp” event for the Pitch@Palace scheme on Monday. The final is on Wednesday with representatives from Bahrain’s government due to attend, including Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who is worth £3billion.
Bahrain is one of the world’s wealthiest countries with a £54.92billion GDP in 2017. Andrew also has links to oil-rich Kazakstan, including claims he was in line for a £4million fee for helping broker a big deal. Timur
Kulibayev, the billionaire son-in-law of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, paid £15million – £3million above its asking price – for Sunninghill Park, the Berkshire estate given to Andrew by the Queen when he wed Sarah Ferguson in 1986.
Andrew was last notably in Bahrain as a guest of its royal family at the Grand Prix in March. He arrived with Fergie, who posted snaps from the trip using the hashtag “lucky me”.
Yesterday she arrived at Buckingham Palace in a Range Rover.
Andrew was earlier pictured leaving their home of Royal Lodge in Windsor.
His position became a distraction.. the decision was for him not to go
SOURCE ON ANDREW’S CANCELLED BAHRAIN TRIP