Hospital staff ‘disciplined’ for removing plaque as it had Prince Andrew’s name on it

Prince Andrew's ties to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein has formed a stain connected his royal lasting (Image: Getty)

Staff astatine Belfast City Hospital person faced disciplinary enactment aft a plaque commemorating the facility’s opening by Prince Andrew was taken down without authoritative permission.

This came amid heightened contention surrounding the Duke of York owed to ineligible allegations successful the United States.

The plaque, which was installed aft Prince Andrew inaugurated the hospital’s operation successful June 1986, disappeared successful January 2022. Its removal coincided with civilian litigation against the Duke successful the US, wherever Virginia Giuffre accused him of intersexual assault, claims the prince has consistently denied.

Health officials launched an interior probe pursuing the plaque’s disappearance, revealing that it had been removed without due authorization.

Emails corroborate that infirmary unit progressive successful the incidental were "disciplined" arsenic portion of an authoritative enquiry into the matter, the BBCreports.

The plaque earlier and aft it was removed (Image: -)

The plaque, which was positioned adjacent the hospital’s beforehand entrance, became a taxable of sensitivity aft Prince Andrew faced civilian enactment implicit allegations that helium assaulted Ms. Giuffre successful 2001, erstwhile she was 17. Although the lawsuit was settled retired of tribunal without an admittance of liability, the Duke agreed to a colony payment.

This ineligible enactment prompted calls for Prince Andrew to measurement backmost from his nationalist duties, starring to the instrumentality of his subject titles and royal patronages to Queen Elizabeth II. The removal of the plaque occurred soon aft this play of aggravated scrutiny connected the Duke.

According to documents obtained by BBC News NI, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust conducted a "significant lawsuit audit" to analyse the plaque’s disappearance. The enquiry lasted respective months and included an outer reappraisal by autarkic consultants.

A elder unit subordinate successful an email mentioned that the removal appeared to beryllium driven by “sensitivities arising from allegations circulating connected nationalist media astatine the time.”

The Trust yet located the missing plaque, but questions surrounding the actions of infirmary unit person sparked heated debate. The Trust has not yet decided whether the plaque volition beryllium reinstalled.

A spokesperson for Belfast Trust said that "staff behaviours" had been addressed "in accordance with spot disciplinary procedures," but they declined to supply further details connected the nonstop quality of the actions taken.

Some governmental figures successful Northern Ireland person condemned the determination to subject staff.

Colin McGrath, the SDLPhealth spokesperson, said: “It’s outrageous to subject unit implicit this. If anything, they did the Trust a favour by removing the plaque. Either backmost your unit oregon backmost a commemorative show for Prince Andrew. I cognize which broadside I would beryllium on.”

Gerry Carroll, an assembly subordinate for People Before Profit, echoed these sentiments, stating that a plaque bearing Prince Andrew’s sanction “should not exist” astatine a nationalist hospital.

“Workers successful the infirmary shouldn’t beryllium reprimanded for opposing this”, helium added.

The Trust confirmed that the plaque has since been recovered and remains successful storage, though its aboriginal is uncertain.

“A thorough probe was carried out, and enactment was taken to code unit behaviours,” a Trust spokesperson reiterated. “No determination has been made regarding the plaque’s reinstatement.”

The contention surrounding the plaque comes astatine a clip erstwhile renewed attraction has been placed connected Prince Andrew’s arguable nationalist life, with multiple dramatizations of his 2019 BBC Newsnight interrogation making waves successful the media.

The infamous interview, successful which the Duke of York discussed his connections to convicted enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been wide regarded arsenic a large nationalist relations catastrophe for the prince.