A plaque unveiled by the disgraced royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor nearly a decade ago has been removed from Greenwich Market.

The Greenwich Wire understands that the plaque was taken away on Friday morning, two weeks after Queen Elizabeth’s second son was stripped of his titles by the King.

It is not clear whether the removal of the plaque was approved by the market’s owner, the Greenwich Hospital naval charity. Mountbatten-Windsor was patron of the charity when the plaque was unveiled.

Greenwich Hospital has not responded to a request for comment.

The plaque, created by the Cardazo Kindersley Workshop, appeared to have been heavily scratched before its removal.

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor unveiling plaque, close-up of plaque
The plaque, unveiled in 2016, appeared to have been scratched before its removal. Image: David Parry/PA Images; The Greenwich Wire

It was unveiled in April 2016 to mark the end of three years of work to refurbish the market. Mountbatten-Windsor, who had attended the Royal Naval College as a student, met traders and described the new-look space as “a great addition” to Greenwich.

An artwork by Michael Speller, Encompass, was also unveiled at the ceremony.

Mountbatten-Windsor, who had been known as the Duke of York, was stripped of his titles over his links to the convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegations made in a posthumous memoir by Virgina Giuffre. 

Entrance to Greenwich Market
The plaque was at the Durnford Street entrance to the market. Image: The Greenwich Wire

Giuffre alleged that the former prince had sexually abused her after she was trafficked by Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor, 65, has always firmly denied the allegations.

Greenwich has long been linked with royalty, and was declared a royal borough in 2012 to mark Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee. Mountbatten-Windsor’s late father, Prince Philip, was given the title of Baron Greenwich upon his marriage in 1947, and led a campaign to bring the Cutty Sark clipper ship to a dry dock by the Thames in the 1950s. 

Greenwich Market
The market is owned by the Greenwich Hospital naval charity. Image: The Greenwich Wire

Mountbatten-Windsor lost his role as patron of Greenwich Hospital in 2022. The charity, which supports serving and former naval personnel and their families, owns the freehold to the Old Royal Naval College as well as much of the town centre.

Until last month the charity also ran a private school, which was founded in Greenwich in 1712 but moved to Suffolk in 1933. But the Royal Hospital School was sold last month, with the charity saying there were few children from naval families now attending the school.

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