Plans to change Andrew plaque on city bridge

A plaque commemorating the then Duke of York opening a bridge in the city will be altered after residents expressed a wish "to disassociate" the borough's name from him.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor attended the opening of Millennium Bridge, which spans the River Ouse, in May 2001 as part of the historic role.

His name, along with the names of funders, trustees and designers, was inscribed on the plate attached to the structure.

"There is a planning process to follow where plaques are attached to listed buildings or structures whether it be to add, remove or alter, but we're not aware of any heritage plaques linked to this individual," council deputy leader Peter Kilbane said.

Mountbatten-Windsor gave up his title of Duke of York in October, after facing increasing pressure over his links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In November, the King officially stripped him of his prince title.

On 19 February, the former duke was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on the King's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and has since been released under investigation.

The arrest came after Thames Valley Police said it was assessing a complaint over the alleged sharing of confidential material by Mountbatten-Windsor with Epstein.

Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently and strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

"On other structures we can make these changes more quickly and in a way that doesn't diminish the valued roles played by individuals, businesses and other organisations, such as those responsible for delivering the original Millennium Bridge vision," Kilbane added.

There was no central record of all plaques in the city, so the councillor welcomed contact from the public to help identify them.

An alteration or removal would follow similar decisions across the country, which included removing a plaque at a former hospital and school in Inverness.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.