A Canadian secondary school will be renamed in an effort to distance itself from its namesake the Duke of York.
Prince Andrew High School, in Nova Scotia, took the name to honour the royal in 1960 shortly after he was born.
But it is cutting ties with him following news he will face trial over allegations he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre, after a US judge rejected his attempt to dismiss the civil claim.
The school said it wanted the new name to be ‘reflective of [its] community and upholds values as a safe and inclusive’ space.
‘Our hope is to continue to build our identity as a positive, supportive and respectful community, with a name to match. We have heard from many of you who feel the same way,’ the principal Craig Campbell wrote in a letter to parents.
The school has created a six-person renaming committee, made up of students and staff members who will invite the community to submit their suggestions for the new name.
‘The committee will review and evaluate the submissions and will then hold a student vote. We’ll then forward the top three recommendations to the Halifax Regional Centre for Education for final approval,’ Mr Campbell added.
The blow comes as Prince Andrew was stripped of his royal titles and patronages by the Queen, leaving him to fight his lawsuit in New York as a private citizen.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: ‘With the Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen.
‘The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.’
Giuffre is suing the Duke claiming he ‘committed sexual assault and battery’ when she was 17 years old.
He has consistently denied the allegations with his lawyers arguing her settlement with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein shielded him from legal action.
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