Yahoo News Prince Andrew quits as Huddersfield University chancellor after Jeffrey Epstein scandal
Prince Andrew is standing down as Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield with immediate effect.
The university confirmed the Duke of York had quit his post, a day after he stepped back from official royal duties over his over his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement, the university said: "Due to the circumstances and in discussion with the University, (Prince Andrew) has decided to step down immediately to allow the University to appoint a successor."
It continued: "The Duke has informed the University that ‘he continues to unequivocally condemn Jeffrey Epstein’s activities and regrets his ill-judged association with him. His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and he deeply sympathises with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure’.
"The University would also like to express our deep sympathy to all of those victims and families that have been affected and we do hope that they are getting the support they need."
The university said the process of appointing a new chancellor will be initiated at the University Council meeting on November 27 with the aim of confirming th new appointment at the following council meeting in March 2020.
The student motion was launched by third year Tristan Smith and 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.
Andrew strenuously denies any wrongdoing.
The royal was conferred as chancellor in 2015 for a period of five years.
In a statement, the union said: "We know that students will welcome this decision, and the Students’ Union would like to offer our sympathy to the victims of Epstein and all those affected by sexual abuse across the world.
"We can also confirm that the Students’ Union will be coordinating a process to appoint a new Chancellor and are delighted that the University has taken the decision to put students at the forefront of the process; we’ll be releasing more information about this at our AGM on Tuesday 26 November.
"We look forward to welcoming a new Chancellor who puts students’ values at the heart of everything they do."
The move comes as Andrew's plan to continue working with his Pitch@Palace project for tech entrepreneurs and start-ups, despite the fallout from his television interview, has been described as "not tenable", by a source close to a sponsor of the initiative.
The source said: "To say you're stepping back from public life but then carry on is not a tenable position by the palace, and I think the sponsor shares that view.
"We really want the programme to continue and succeed, because it's a valuable programme, but if it's going to continue to have reputational problems then we'll have to walk away from our contract."
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