London, Jan 18 (AFP\/APP):Britain’s York Racecourse is to rename the Duke of York Stakes in an effort to distance itself from Queen Elizabeth II’s second son Prince Andrew, who is facing a US civil case for sexual assault.<\/p>\n
The six-furlong (1,200-metre) sprint was named in 1895 after another Duke of York — Prince George, Duke of York, who later became king George V.
\nBut officials want to make its history clearer.<\/p>\n
Prince Andrew has effectively been stripped of his position in royal life, after Buckingham Palace announced last week that he had given up his honorary military titles and charitable roles.<\/p>\n
Calls have also been made for Andrew to lose his York dukedom, which was given to him by his mother on his wedding day in 1986.<\/p>\n
James Brennan, the racecourse’s head of marketing and sponsorship, told the local Yorkshire Post newspaper: “It (the race) was named in honour of Prince George, who went on to become King George V.<\/p>\n
“It has never been directly about Prince Andrew. With that in mind, however, we are going to explore how we can make the name a lot clearer about its history — and that the name refers to an entirely different Duke of York.”<\/p>\n
The current favourite as a replacement name is the 1895 Duke Of York Stakes.<\/p>\n
Any change would have to be carried out with the European Pattern Committee, the body that regulates Group races, which are high-profile events.<\/p>\n
The Duke of York Stakes is a Group 2 sprint at the Dante Festival, which is held in May.<\/p>\n
The Queen, 95, is known for her lifelong love of horses and racing, as well as being a successful owner and breeder, with eight decades of involvement in the sport.<\/p>\n
Andrew was appointed the racecourse’s first patron in 2015, but gave up the position in 2019 after stepping down from public duties in the wake of a television interview in which he defended his ties to the US financier Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n
The 61-year-old prince’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, 38, alleges that Epstein, who killed himself in prison while awaiting trial for sex trafficking, lent her out to his wealthy friends.<\/p>\n
She claims Andrew sexually assaulted her when she was 17. Andrew has strenuously denied the allegation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
London, Jan 18 (AFP\/APP):Britain’s York Racecourse is to rename the Duke of York Stakes in an effort to distance itself from Queen Elizabeth II’s second son Prince Andrew, who is facing a US civil case for sexual assault. The six-furlong (1,200-metre) sprint was named in […]<\/p>\n
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