Regulator is looking into payment to former private secretary

Charity Commission investigators in England are looking into Prince Andrew’s charity over payments made to his former private secretary.

In its annual report the Prince Andrew Charitable Trust (PACT) said the regulator “raised a concern about remuneration paid to one of the Trustees . . . which the Commission considered to be an unauthorised Trustee benefit” made to Amanda Thirsk.

The report states that a total of £355,297 — relating to five years of payments to Thirsk — was repaid by the Duke of York’s household.

Thirsk was a trustee of the of PACT as well as a director of its profitmaking subsidiaries, including Pitch@Palace, his venture for introducing entrepreneurs and investors.

PACT is currently in liquidation, along with the UK arm of Pitch@Palace. However, Pitch@Palace Global, the international arm, which reported nearly £600,000 in profits in the year ending March 2019, is expected to live on.

It has removed all references to the prince from its website, and is working to “refresh the brand.”

Amanda Thirsk, who has worked with Prince Andrew since 2012, is thought to have been the driving force behind his disastrous Newsnight interview last year which questioned his links with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said: “We continue to engage with the trustees of the Prince Andrew Charitable Trust about a number of regulatory issues and will report further in due course.”