It’s probably safe to say it’s not been the best few days Prince Andrew – aka the Duke of York – has ever had.
Andrew, the Queen’s third child, found himself in some *seriously* hot water over the weekend after giving an interview to Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The prince’s defence of his relationship with Epstein – who died in
prison in August – and his failure to show any sympathy for Epstein’s young victims meant he faced some serious scrutiny after the interview was aired on Saturday night.
And, honestly, it’s only got worse for him since then (and we’re not just talking about the claims Prince Andrew used the n-word during a meeting at Buckingham Palace in 2012 – an allegation palace sources strongly deny).
Huddersfield Students Try To Ditch The Prince As has become apparent over the past few days, Prince Andrew’s name is connected to a lot of
British institutions and charities – including the University of Huddersfield.
Back in 2015, the Duke of York was made chancellor of the West Yorkshire university and awarded an honorary doctorate.
But, after the prince’s interview about his relationship with Epstein, it seems Huddersfield students are keen to distance themselves from Andrew.
On Monday night, Huddersfield Uni’s student union passed a motion saying the SU should lobby Prince Andrew to resign as chancellor, with students using the hashtag #NotMyChancellor on Twitter.Our Student Jury has finished:Motion 1, Should Essay Mills be Banned? PassedMotion 2, Quiet Spaces on Campus. PassedMotion 3, Declare a Climate Emergency. PassedMotion 4, Lobby Prince Andrew to Resign. Passed. A full statement will be released by the Officer Team tomorrow.— Huddersfield SU (@HuddersfieldSU) November 18, 2019“I think for the sake of our university and its good reputation, we need to do something to make sure this man is not associated with us #NotMyChancellor,” one student tweeted.
In a statement, the University of Huddersfield said it was aware of the motion. “We listen to our students’ views and concerns and we will now be consulting with them over the coming weeks,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
It’s not the first time Huddersfield students have tried to unseat the Duke, though. In 2018, they called on him to resign after they accused him of being “blasé” about the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Companies Distance Themselves From The DukeIt’s not just students who have distanced themselves from the prince.
On Monday evening, it emerged that accountancy firm KPMG had decided not to renew its sponsorship of Andrew’s Pitch@Palace mentorship scheme, which ran out at the end of October.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: “KPMG’s contract with Pitch@Palace ended at the end of October. A full programme of Pitch@Palace events is continuing across the United Kingdom.”
Now, it looks as if other businesses and charities could be about to follow suit. Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca confirmed it is reviewing its three-year partnership with Pitch@Palace, which is due to expire at the end of the year.
A spokesperson said: “Our three year partnership with pitch@palace is due to expire at the end of this year and is currently being reviewed.”
Meanwhile, The Times reports that Aon has called for its logo to be removed from the mentorship scheme’s website. A spokesperson for the insurance company told HuffPost
UK that it was a not a partner of the scheme “and never had been, which is why we asked for the logo to be removed from the website”.
Virginia Giuffre Has Given Another Interview During his interview with Newsnight, Prince Andrew strenuously denied claims by
Virginia Giuffre – one of Epstein’s victims – she was forced to have sex with the Duke when she was 17, or at any other time.
Giuffre has alleged that she was made to have sex with Andrew three times between 2001 and 2002.
The prince told Maitlis that it “absolutely categorically” did not happen, saying he had “no recollection of ever meeting this lady”.
But Andrew is likely to face further scrutiny over the claims after it emerged on Monday that Giuffre has given an interview to BBC’s Panorama.
According to PA Media, the 35-year-old reiterated her claims she slept with Andrew as a teenager after being trafficked by Epstein.
Meanwhile, a woman who has accused Epstein of sexually abusing her as a child has called on Prince Andrew to tell US authorities what he knows about his former friend.
“Prince Andrew, and any others who were close to Epstein, should come forward and give a statement under oath on what information they have,” the woman – who calls herself Jane Doe 15 – said at a news conference on Monday. Related... Prince Andrew Limps Away From Disastrous Interview – Straight Into N-Word Race Row KPMG Ends Sponsorship Of Prince Andrew's Mentorship Scheme