Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s last visit to WA was strictly ‘no questions’ due to darkening Epstein cloud

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s last visit to Perth was remarkable for how deliberately low-key it was, with the media kept at a distance from which they couldn’t ask awkward questions. In October 2019, the then-prince was making his second trip in two years to WA as part of international Pitch Palace competition which he founded in 2014. With the Jeffrey Epstein scandal swirling around him, reporters were barred from approaching or speaking to the prince on his visit to Murdoch University, which was involved in the program to help budding entrepreneurs pitch their ideas. The media contingent was herded into a roped off area more than 30m from the prince’s fixed arrival point, while a pool camera was given special permission to track his movements from a distance of 15m. Murdoch University severed its ties with Pitch Palace a couple of months later as scrutiny of the Prince’s ties to the convicted pedophile intensified. “Murdoch University has today advised Buckingham Palace it would not continue its participation in Pitch Palace in 2020,” the university said at the time. “We remain committed to supporting innovators and entrepreneurs. “However, in the current circumstances we have decided that our efforts in this area are best served through other means.” Key corporate partners Woodside Energy and accounting company KPMG also confirmed they would not be renewing their sponsorship of Pitch Palace. “Our sponsorship of the program was a one-off and our association has now ended,” a Woodside spokesperson said at the time. Ironically, one of the pitches during the Perth event was a start-up social media training platform for children aimed at preventing sexual abuse and inappropriate exposure to pornography. During his 2019 visit, the royal stayed at a $1000-a-night suite at the Como Treasury.