Prince Andrew.
Camera IconPrince Andrew. Credit: Supplied/Getty Images

Murdoch Uni cuts ties with Prince Andrew

AAPMelville Gazette

PERTH’S Murdoch University has cut ties with a program founded by Prince Andrew amid continued backlash about his links to billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The university issued a statement on Wednesday saying it would no longer participate in Pitch@Palace, a global entrepreneurial program aimed at providing international development opportunities for early-stage businesses.

“Murdoch University has today advised Buckingham Palace it would not continue its participation in Pitch@Palace in 2020,” a spokesperson said.

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“We remain committed to supporting innovators and entrepreneurs. However, in the current circumstances, we have decided that our efforts in this area are best served through other means.”

Queensland’s Bond University and Melbourne’s RMIT have both also confirmed they will no longer take part in the Pitch@Palace program.

Prince Andrew founded the program in 2014 and attended an event at Murdoch University last month.

The Duke of York’s visit was marred by scrutiny of his relationship with Epstein, the disgraced US financier who took his own life in August in a New York prison cell where he was detained on charges of sex trafficking teenage girls.

British media have reported the FBI expects to interview alleged trafficking victims in the hope they can provide more details about the Duke’s links to Epstein.

Scotland Yard previously held an investigation after Virginia Giuffre made allegations against Prince Andrew, but that probe was dropped in 2015.

The Duke, whose recent BBC television interview about the scandal was widely criticised, has denied all allegations against him.