Students call for Prince Andrew to resign as Huddersfield University chancellor

Prince Andrew has been dealt a major blow after students agreed to campaign for him to quit as chancellor of Huddersfield University.

The student jury unanimously passed a motion to lobby the Duke of York to resign from the post amid scrutiny of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

The motion, launched by third year Tristan Smith, said the institution should not be represented by “a man with ties to organised child sexual exploitation and assault”.​

Students have also used the hashtag #notmychancellor as part of the campaign. A full statement is expected from the Students' Union later today.

Andrew strenuously denies any wrongdoing.

The move came as KPMG withdrew its support for Pitch@Palace, the prince's flagship mentoring scheme for tech start-ups and entrepreneurs

The accountancy giant is among a number of businesses and charities which have backed the duke for years but are reviewing their support for the prince, amid pressure on him to speak to US authorities about the convicted sex offender.

Andrew has faced intense criticism over his BBC interview with Emily Maitlis, in which he defended his friendship with the late disgraced financier and refuted claims he slept with one of Epstein’s alleged teenage “sex slaves”.

The Outward Bound Trust, which educates young people about outdoor activities and is said to be one of the royal family’s favourite charities, announced that its trustees would meet this week to discuss whether the duke should remain as its patron.

Pharmaceutical multinational AstraZeneca also told the Daily Telegraph it was reviewing its future with Pitch@Palace.

"Our three-year partnership with Pitch@Palace is due to expire at the end of this year and is currently being reviewed,” the conglomerate said.

Insurance company Aon also asked for its logo to be removed from the Pitch@Palace website. According to City AM, Aon was not connected with the scheme and never had been.

Last night, a spokesman for Buckingham Palace announced that KPMG’s sponsorship contract with Pitch@Palace expired at the end of October and would not be renewed.

The firm is understood to have spent almost £250,000 on supporting the scheme’s events since its inception in 2014.

The project, which offers start-ups the opportunity to appeal for funding in front of an audience, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Prince Andrew’s own charitable foundation, which was set up five years ago to promote entrepreneurship.

The Palace said last night that the project was not under threat and that “a full programme of Pitch@Palace events is continuing across the United Kingdom.”

Andrew's appearance on Newsnight to explain his friendship with the convicted sex offender and deny allegations of having sex with 17-year-old Virginia Roberts, now Virginia Giuffre, has been widely condemned, but the duke is said to being standing by his decision to put his side of the story.

The Queen and other senior royals are said to "back and believe" Andrew's defence of himself in the BBC interview "100 per cent" , sources told the Evening Standard.

US lawyer Spencer Kuvin, who represents a woman who claims she was a victim of Epstein, told Radio 4's Today programme Andrew should come forward to help the ongoing investigation into the disgraced American financier.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was asked during an election campaign event at the CBI annual conference on Monday if he would encourage Andrew to co-operate with US authorities about his knowledge of the disgraced financier's activities. He brushed the question off saying "nice try there".

It was also reported that MsGiuffre has given an interview to BBC's Panorama.

The royal was caught up in further controversy when Evening Standard columnist Rohan Silva claimed Andrew used the n-word word during a Buckingham Palace meeting in 2012 .

Meanwhile, one alleged Epstein victim - known only as Jane Doe 15 - gave an emotional account of her ordeal as she launched a civil lawsuit against the sex offender's estate on Tuesday.

She made a direct appeal to the royal after her lawyer Gloria Allred called on him to make a statement.