Staff at a Belfast hospital were disciplined after a plaque marking its formal opening by the Duke of York went missing, according to emails seen by the BBC.

The plaque sparked an investigation by health officials after it was removed without permission from Belfast City Hospital in January 2022.

It came after Prince Andrew faced civil action in the US over sexual assault allegations - claims he has denied.

The Belfast Trust said the plaque has since been recovered, staff “behaviours” were addressed “in accordance with trust disciplinary procedures,” and no decision has been made on reinstating the plaque.

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The incident was investigated by independent consultants appointed by officials, according to an email from a senior staff member in December 2023.

That staff member said it led to “action taken to address staff behaviours in accordance with trust disciplinary procedures”.

In another email, he said it had been claimed the plaque had been removed “out of sensitivities arising from allegations circulating on national media at the time”.

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The trust had received a complaint in January 2022 saying the plaque was “causing offence” and asking for it to be removed, according to the emails.

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) health spokesperson Colin McGrath described the idea of staff being disciplined over the matter as “outrageous”.

The Stormont assembly member said that “if anything, they’ve done the trust a favour by removing the reference”.