Prince Andrew is reportedly relaunching his start-up initiative, Pitch@Palace, with a new director in the spring of 2021.
The royal family's accountant, Arthur Lancaster, has been tapped to head the relaunch, which royal observers said could pave the way for the Duke of York to return to public service.
Pitch@Palace Global named Lancaster as the new director at the beginning of December, and he will also join Prince Andrew and sports tycoon Johan Eliasch as the board members. A spokesperson, however, said that the company is currently "on pause" due to the COVID-19 restrictions while its strategy and operations are under review.
Lancaster served as the trustee for Duke of York Sports Foundation, which had to close down when the Prince Andrew Charitable Trust also shut down following the expose on the royal's controversial friendship with the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In late 2019, several board members resigned after Prince Andrew's disappointing interview with BBC to clarify his ties to the disgraced billionaire.
Following the mass resignation, Tech Crunch reported that Pitch@Palace will undergo a rebranding and will have no more "royal involvement" as Amanda Thirsk, Andrew's former private secretary, takes over. Sources at Buckingham Palace also stated that the company would be moved to Prince Andrew's private portfolio.
By February 2020, BBC reported that Pitch@Palace removed Prince Andrew's name from its official site. The office in Buckingham Palace also closed as the company planned to find a new space outside of the royal palace walls.
However, as Daily Express reported, Pitch@Palace remains the only business interest of the Duke of York after resigned from his royal roles. The company invests and provides financial assistance to tech start-up firms in the U.K. It is proud of its record of hearing 2,842 pitches and granting over 6,323 jobs. Its help to young, flourishing companies generated $1.80 million (£1.345 million) in 2019.
Meanwhile, the Duke of York hasn't done any public engagements, whether personal or official, since his disastrous interview with BBC. His photos during Princess Beatrice's wedding in July were also not publicized by the royal family.
The news comes as Prince William, the second in line to the throne, told Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles that Prince Andrew must not be reinstated in The Firm. The Duke of Cambridge believes that it will not help the royal family to have his uncle back with his scandal, still creating headlines in the papers.
