Sleaford primary school considers future of plaque from Prince Andrew visit

The Duke of York is facing a civil court case in the US, denying allegations by Virginia Giuffre that he sexually assaulted her when she was 17, as she was being trafficked by his friend Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted paedophile.

By mutual consent, Prince Andrew has agreed not to use his HRH title and has returned his Royal patronages and honorary military titles to the Queen to pass on to other Royals.

Headteacher of William Alvey School, Stephen Tapley, is now considering what to do about the plaques in the school hall which marked the prince’s visit by helicopter on November 3, 1997 to view and open a new four classroom block.

He said: “I know it was a special occasion for all concerned. We are redecorating that area soon and although there are lots of important aspects of the past that we like to celebrate at the Alvey, we also want to keep things fresh and relevant for today’s children, so removing the plaque with his name on it is something we would now consider for a number of different reasons; one of which would now include the outcome of the forthcoming court proceedings.”