Groups rip down plaques marking visits by Prince Andrew following his catastrophic Epstein interview

Plaques unveiled by Prince Andrew are being ripped off walls by organisations anxious to distance themselves from the beleaguered Royal, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Commemorative tablets marking Prince Andrew’s visits are being removed in the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the Prince’s disastrous Newsnight interview.

Rotherham University recently decided to remove a plaque unveiled by the Duke in June when he marked the opening of its new Doncaster Gate campus. It has also removed photographs of the visit.

A spokesman said: ‘In light of the allegations raised, the executive leadership team took the decision to remove the plaque within days of the [Newsnight] interview last month and it has been taken down, along with photos of the visit.’

Similar action has been taken at the University of the West England, which has taken down two plaques installed for visits by Andrew to open new campuses in July 2017 and March 2018. A spokesman said the decision had been made ‘in light of recent events’.

Highland Hospice in Inverness, Scotland, has also removed a commemorative plaque unveiled in December 2016 by Andrew – who holds the title of Earl of Inverness – when he officially opened their new inpatient unit.

One patient, who asked not to be named, said: ‘The Highland Hospice has quite rightly chosen to disassociate itself from Prince Andrew. I’m very impressed they’ve taken a stance.’

An online petition calling for the Queen to strip Andrew of his Earl of Inverness title has so far attracted 1,463 signatures.

In Canada, it was reported that Prince Andrew High School in Novia Scotia is considering changing its name. Principal Brad McGowan, who wants the issue discussed at a school council meeting, said: ‘We‘ve had inquiries about the appropriateness of the name, so I think it’s my responsibility to ask “Does this name continue to reflect the community?” ’

Belinda Oxner, chair of the school advisory council, said: ‘As a mother of three daughters, I find it very difficult to have that name on a building where our children are supposed to feel safe.’ Andrew has seen support evaporate since he gave an interview to the BBC’s Emily Maitlis, subsequently described as a ‘car crash’.

In it, the Duke – who has repeatedly denied claims by Virginia Roberts, one of Epstein’s sex slaves, that they had sex on three occasions, the first when she was 17 – said that he could not recall ever meeting her.

A statement from Buckingham Palace said: ‘It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.’

Last week, it emerged that his flagship project Pitch@Palace CIC is being shut down in the UK. The non-profit-making company, which supports entrepreneurs, is being wound up after trustees decided that it had no future.

Three directors of Pitch@Palace Global, its overseas arm, were reported this weekend to have told Andrew they will quit unless he agrees to give up control.