Prince Andrew's Firm Entrusted to Controversial Businessman Doug Barrowman

Prince Andrew's Firm Entrusted to Controversial Businessman Doug Barrowman

One of Prince Andrew’s key business assets was, for two years, under the control of a company owned by Doug Barrowman — a businessman with a track record of controversy and scandal, the BBC can reveal.

Following Prince Andrew’s disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview regarding his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the legal ownership of Pitch@Palace Global — the international arm of his start-up competition — was quietly transferred to Knox House Trustees (UK), a company controlled by Barrowman.

Barrowman, often described as a "millionaire fixer," has spent years mired in allegations of misconduct. Alongside his wife, lingerie entrepreneur Baroness Michelle Mone, he hit the headlines for recommending PPE Medpro to government ministers during the Covid-19 pandemic — only to later admit they lied about their financial links to the company. PPE Medpro won £200 million in lucrative government contracts, and is now the subject of a criminal investigation by the National Crime Agency. Both Barrowman and Mone deny wrongdoing.

Barrowman’s legal entanglements go back years. In 2017, HMRC opened an investigation into AML Tax (UK), one of his firms, accusing it of "aggressively promoting" tax avoidance schemes. AML Tax was fined £150,000 in 2022. Barrowman’s business dealings have repeatedly drawn scrutiny, raising serious questions about how he became involved with a royal project.

A lawyer for Mr Barrowman insisted he "at no time... had any business or personal involvement with the duke." However, documents from Companies House paint a different picture: from 2021 to 2023, Knox House Trustees (UK) — owned and controlled by Barrowman — legally held Pitch@Palace Global Ltd on Andrew’s behalf.

A Pattern of Questionable Associates

Prince Andrew’s financial affairs have long been the subject of public concern, particularly after he lost his royal income and faced mounting costs to maintain his lavish lifestyle at Royal Lodge, Windsor. His repeated entanglement with controversial business figures has only deepened the unease.

In December, Prince Andrew was forced to sever ties with Yang Tengbo, a key figure in Pitch@Palace China, after UK government officials warned he might be a spy — a claim Mr Yang denies. Yet, far from learning caution, the prince entrusted control of Pitch@Palace Global to Barrowman, a man with a history of skirting legal and ethical boundaries.

Author and royal biographer Andrew Lownie stated: "Andrew has a long history of associating with dubious business figures and disguising his business activities behind nominee and offshore accounts. There urgently needs to be a full, transparent investigation into the duke's financial activities."

Barrowman’s Ties to Scandal

Founded in 2014, Pitch@Palace was intended to help entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to investors. It split into two arms: a UK community interest company and a for-profit global venture. After the prince’s fall from grace in 2019, operations largely suspended, but ownership of the valuable global arm — and the network of influential contacts it represented — remained an important asset.

Ownership moved to Knox House Trustees (UK), incorporated only months earlier, where Barrowman held “significant influence and control” until 2023. Barrowman’s broader business empire, much of it routed through the Isle of Man, has repeatedly faced accusations of opacity and financial misconduct.

When Barrowman stepped away from direct control of Knox House Trustees (UK), ownership passed to Arthur Lancaster — another figure mired in controversy. Lancaster had previously been a director at companies involved in Barrowman's AML tax scheme and later took charge of PPE Medpro after the scandal broke. In court, a judge branded Lancaster "evasive" and noted "significant inconsistencies" in his evidence.

Though Barrowman's lawyer maintains that his client merely provided administration services through Mr Lancaster, the broader picture suggests a tangled web of loyal associates managing companies under scrutiny.

A Growing Shadow Over the Duke

While Prince Andrew’s connection to Pitch@Palace Global is officially acknowledged — he is listed as having “significant influence or control” — the continued involvement of figures like Barrowman and Lancaster raises serious questions.

For years, the Royal Family has relied on nominee arrangements to shield financial holdings from public view. But in the wake of scandals surrounding Epstein, PPE Medpro, and now Pitch@Palace, secrecy only fuels suspicion.

Despite multiple opportunities, Prince Andrew declined to comment on these revelations. Doug Barrowman, through his lawyer, denied any personal involvement with the prince, though his long history of business controversies — and the shadow they cast — speaks for itself.