The University of South Wales has confirmed that there's “no ongoing link” with the Duke of York’s Pitch@Palace initiative, after hosting an event in September.
Picture: BBC
The event - which was held to celebrate the development of entrepreneurs and the growth of local start-ups - took place at the Newport campus.
At the time Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood was just one of those that raised concerns about the event, contacting the university’s Vice Chancellor Julie Lydon directly.
A USW spokesperson said: “We were asked to host a Pitch@Palace event which took place in September 2019 to highlight our commitment to supporting the development of entrepreneurs and the growth of start-up businesses within our region.”
The spotlight on the Duke has become more intense since his interview with Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis last week, in which he discussed his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of his own conduct.
Since the broadcast many organisations have withdrawn support of his initiatives, including three Australian universities, with others reassessing their own links.
Earlier this week, in a statement released by Buckingham Palace, it was confirmed that he would be withdrawing from public royal duties for the "foreseeable future".
Today, it was announced that he would step down as Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield - a role which he was appointed to in 2015.
A statement from that institution read: “Due to the circumstances and in discussion with the University, he [the Duke of York] has decided to step down immediately to allow the University to appoint a successor.”
Earlier this week, students there had lobbied for him to resign, using the hashtag #notmychancellor.