The Irish Yew tree was planted by then-Prince Andrew but a local council is reviewing his legacy in the area as the scandal involving the late Jeffrey Epstein rumbles on
A commemorative tree planted by disgraced Andrew Mountbatten Windsor could be removed as the Jeffrey Epstein scandal rumbles on.
The Irish Yew tree was planted by then-Prince Andrew to mark Lisburn’s 400th anniversary in the hands of the Northern Ireland Office. But its future is now in doubt after Andrew Windsor was stripped of his royal titles earlier this week due to his ties to the late billionaire paedophile Epstein.
Andrew has strongly denied the allegations against him, though he has seen many of his privileges being withdrawn. The political parties forming the Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council were all in agreement Andrew’s legacy in the area should be reviewed.
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A spokesperson for the council said: “The tree was planted to recognise 400 years of Lisburn being a town, and in line with our sustainability strategy we would not be removing it.
“Any action regarding the plaque would be undertaken in line with any future guidance issued by the Northern Ireland Office. We have contacted the Northern Ireland Office and await feedback.”
Lisburn and Castlereagh have strong connections to the Royal Family with the official Royal residence for Northern Ireland at Hillsborough Castle in County Down being granted royal status in 2021, reports BelfastLive.
Andrew’s fall from grace came following allegations by the late Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she had sex with the former Duke at Ghislaine Maxwell’s house when she was just 17. He has strongly denied these claims.
Pressure mounted on Andrew following further claims published in Ms Giuffre’s memoir Nobody’s Girl. As well as losing his titles, Andrew will be forced to move out of the Royal Lodge in Windsor and he was struck off the official roll of peerages.
But he remains eighth in line to the throne with the UK Government stating it has no intention to introduce a new law for the line of succession. A former royal courtier has described what life looks like for Andrew in one word – “bleak”.
As reported by The Telegraph, the source who has spent time at Sandringham also said the former prince will be “lonely.” They added: “It’s going to be a lonely life for him. It’s a working farm, so there are always people around – but they are staff, and he’s not someone who has a track record of being friendly with servants.”
