The University of Wollongong has stopped short of cutting ties with Prince Andrew's entrepreneurial initiative, despite growing backlash over the Duke of York's BBC interview on sexual assault allegations and links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
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The interview has been labelled a PR disaster and a train wreck, and Prince Andrew, 59, has since asked the Queen for permission to withdraw from royal duties for the "foreseeable future".
In the wake of the interview, UOW said it would undertake "an annual review of its future involvement in Pitch@Palace", which was launched by the prince in Wollongong in 2017.
Three other universities have already signaled their intention to drop all involvement with the program, which is designed to support and promote Australian start-ups.
Murdoch University has told Buckingham Palace it will not be continuing, while RMIT said it had concluded its involvement, and said it was committed to ensuring its campus remains "a safe and inclusive place to work and study".
Bond University said it was preparing to consider working with Pitch@Palace in 2020 but "in light of recent events, the university does not intend to seek any further involvement".
Unlike these institutions, UOW has not addressed the controversy surrounding Prince Andrew in it's statement about the future of Pitch@Palace.
"The University of Wollongong is currently undertaking an annual review of its future involvement in Pitch@Palace in accordance with its agreement with Pitch@Palace Australia," the statement said.
"The University remains committed to supporting entrepreneurship and small business in Australia, and its assessment will include consideration of whether Pitch@Palace remains an effective avenue to deliver that support."
"The University will reach a considered decision about its future involvement with Pitch@Palace based on the University's strategic objectives, institutional values and the program's potential for success."
For several months Prince Andrew has been facing questions over his ties to Epstein, who took his own life while awaiting trial over sex-trafficking charges relating to girls as young as 14.
In the BBC interview he said he did not regret the friendship with Epstein, although he said meeting him for a final time in 2010 - after Epstein had been jailed in 2008 for child sex offences - was "the wrong decision".
The prince said in a statement after the interview that he would be willing to cooperate with law enforcement agencies over investigations into Epstein's alleged crimes.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
