Gavin Grey: UK correspondent on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor closing down his final business interests

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is closing down some of his last remaining known business interests, including Pitch@Palace Global Ltd.

Pitch@Palace was a start-up project where aspiring entrepreneurs could present their ideas to potential investors - and was once seen as a possible income source for Andrew after the King stopped supporting him financially.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey says it's a final nail in the coffin of the disgraced former prince.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Devin Gray UK correspondence with US Hello, Gevin Hi. So,
Donald Trump has said he has an obligation to sue
the bebe Yes.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
First time he's spoken since the whole row erupted about
his thoughts and the BBC documentary in which a speech
was edited together in such a way as to make
it look like he was trying to incite his supporters
into violence at the Capitol. Hell rites back in January
twenty twenty one, two bits of the speech, almost an

(00:30):
hour apart, edited together. He's now spoken on Fox News
and said that it had presented defrauded views of what
he said. His speech had been butchered, he said, and
effectively said he now has this obligation to sue, and
that deadline for the suing of one billion pounds two

(00:51):
point three billion New Zealand dollars comes with a deadline,
and it's ten o'clock Friday evening hour time, so it'll
be sad today mid morning your time for the corporation
to respond. And if the BBC doesn't respond, he says
he will start that litigation. Lots of people though looking
at that threat of litigation and said, well, hang on.

(01:11):
One of the main plints in a court of lawes
was it readily available to view in America? And the
answer to that would appear to be no, But of
course that'll all be decided potentially in a court of law.
And also, you know, has it actually added any additional
damage to his reputation about that speech? And again the

(01:32):
BBC could be arguing no. That said, my sources are
saying they are inclined to offer some kind of amount
of money for damage to his reputation. But time will tell,
and the clock is taking wow.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Okay, So I thought the response that he was looking
for was just maybe an apology, like a public humiliation.
But he's he that will not suffice.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
He's asked for a retraction, an apology, and some money
to compensate him for the damage to his reputation. He
hasn't said how much that is, but the idea of
then that threat for a billion pounds is obviously giving
an indication of how much it thinks it's really damaged
that report.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
It sounds like he's going to lodge the lawsuit If
he does in Florida, where the BBC is available, does
he have to prove not only that the BBC is
available but that the show itself was like widely viewed.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
I think there is basically an idea that if it's
readily available and as you said, the BBC are there.
But it's interesting that he's lodged it with a very
small local firm of solicitors in Florida, as you said,
where the BBC is available. But it's this idea that
it was something that was massively seen in order to

(02:45):
have affected his reputation. And obviously I suppose one of
the arguments will be well, any viewing would be a damage,
But the idea that it was widely seen in America,
I think it would be debated by the BBC.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yeah, fair enough. Now what's the latest with Andrew? All
the businesses have been wound up?

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yes they are. And this I think is really another
nail in the coffin of his career, as it were,
and Andrew mount Baton Windsor. Incidentally, it's now hyphenated the
Mount Batan Windsor thing. Andrew mount Baten Windsor is closing
down the pitch at Palace Global Limited. Now those who
have followed these things would know that he had sort

(03:23):
of it was a startup competition where entrepreneurs could present
their ideas straight to potential investors, and this was one
seen as a possible stream of income for the former
Prince when the King stopped find supporting him financially. However,
when he gave that disastrous interview to the BBC about
his friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, it

(03:47):
was put on ice, and now we know that he's
actually physically closing it. The UK side of the business
was wound up in twenty twenty one. The international part, though,
has remained open, and a Dutch company start up boot Camp,
had said it was actually interested in buying the business,
saying it was an immense value, but that however, unraveled
earlier this year. There is only about twenty one thousand

(04:10):
New Zealand dollars left at the end of March from
the account, significantly down on the previous year about half
a million New Zealand dollars, and so the winding up
looks like a more formal step than anything else, but
it is another huge dent to Prince Andrew or Andrew's reputation,
because this was something he really really cared about.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
Now, is Kistama really in trouble.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Do you think yes, I think he is. The very
fact now that this is making national news. So in
a couple of weeks time, we get the budget, which
is an outline of the fiscal and financial path that
this government is intending to take. And even though it's
a fortnight away and even though we don't actually know
what's in it, there's been massive speculation the government is

(04:52):
going to have to basically renege on a promise it
made at the election, and that promise was it would
not put up tax is for what it described as
working people. So it got around it first time around
by putting extra taxes on employers. Those employers say, right, well,
we're not now going to take on any new staff
and it's costing us a lot to keep these stuff,

(05:14):
and so they're laying people off and the unemployment figures
going up. This government now looks like it's in a
bigger financial hole and therefore will have to put up taxes.
And there are now there's talk, admittedly not on camera,
not to in quote marks, but talk from lots of
different politicians about the fact his days are numbered. His

(05:35):
supporters are saying he will fight this to the end.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
Jay's interesting. Can't wait to see this play out. Hey,
thank you very much. Gavin Devin Gray are UK correspondents.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
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