The sex abuse case against Prince Andrew continues to cause trouble for the British royal family even as Queen Elizabeth II stripped him of his patronages and declared that he will be fighting his legal battles as a private citizen.

In the latest, a vandal sprayed graffiti reading "paedo home" on a brickwork wall at the Queen's official Scottish residence- The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Pictures surfaced on Sunday showing the outer walls of the palace spray-painted with the words seemingly targeting the Duke of York, who has been accused by Virginia Roberts Giuffre of having sex with her when she was a minor and was being trafficked by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

One of the pictures showed the words sprayed in large white letters along one wall while the historical building could be seen in the background. Another image showed the words "burn Tory scum" written along the same wall in a similar manner, reports Mail Online.

Police were called to the palace to investigate the matter, and have been trying to find the person responsible for the graffiti. A spokesperson from Scotland Police said on Monday: "Police received a report of vandalism on an external wall at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh which happened between 4pm on Saturday, 15 January and 8am on Sunday, 16 January, 2022. Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information should contact police via 101, quoting incident number 1071 of 16 January."

Meanwhile, social media users expressed anger at the defacement of the property. "We must condemn and confront the mindless acts of vandalism and hatred," one user tweeted, while another commented, "There are no excuses for it at all, it's criminality whether or not it suits your political party of choice."

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. The Queen resides at the palace during her traditional visit to Edinburgh in July, also known as "Holyrood Week" or "Royal Week," during which she attends meetings and visits Scottish regions.

Her grandson Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, who are known as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn in Scotland, had also visited the palace when they visited the country in May last year.

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Prince Andrew, Duke of York attends the opening of the Francis Crick Institute on November 9, 2016 Tristan Fewings/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II British Royal Family