One of the initiatives closest to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s heart is to be dissolved in just days. Pitch@Palace was launched in 2014 as an accelerator/incubator firm which saw entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to potential investors in a similar fashion to Drangon’s Den.
However, documents to dissolve its international branch were filed with Companies House, and are to come into fruition on February 3. The application to dissolve the UK side of the operation had already been filed in November, signed by the company’s only director Arthur Lancaster.
The company suspended operations around late 2019 and the UK side of it ceased in 2021, but international Pitch@Palace Global remained open.
Dutch company Startup Bootcamp expressed interest in buying the initiative, but the deal ended up unravelling in 2025.
Most of the cash it had left has been withdrawn in recent years, with the latest set of accounts showing just £10,965 at the end of March, down from £220,990 the year before.
According to The Sun, a friend of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor said: “Pitch@Palace Global had a slow and inevitable death but proved impossible to resurrect after he was stripped of all royal titles.
“It was for many years one of Andrew’s proudest achievements but with it finally wound-up, his impending exile is looking to be not just a fresh start but also retirement.”
This comes as the former prince prepares to move out of his Royal Lodge home in Windsor to a smaller property on the Sandringham estate, believed to be Marsh Farm, by Easter 2026, following the surrender of his lease.
He is reported to have visited his new home, which apparently did not impress him.
A source reportedly said: “It was the first time he’s seen his new house and he is resigned to the fact that this is his future. He’s come to the conclusion that he has to get on with the rest of his life and accepts he has to make the best of it.”