Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Faces Loss of Another Honour as Northern Ireland Council Moves to Scrap Road Named After Him

The Mid and East Antrim Council in Northern Ireland unanimously voted to replace the name of Prince Andrew Way in Carrickfergus, following the removal of titles of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor due to his ties with the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

The disgraced prince strongly denied the allegations about his connection to the convicted paedophile and other rumours, claiming that he also sexually abused minor women.

King Charles decided to strip him of all his titles after the release of the posthumous memoir of his alleged victim, Virginia Giuffre, in late October.

The former prince also lost his privilege to live in the Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor, together with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.

He was also mentioned in the Epstein files recently released by the Democrats in the US.

Renaming the Prince Andrew Way

The street in Carrickfergus was named Prince Andrew Way in 1986 to celebrate the former prince's wedding to Sarah Ferguson.

It has several houses and businesses lining up the street.

Alliance Party councillor Lauren Gray proposed to the council to rename the street during a meeting on Monday evening.

According to The Mirror, some residents have already requested the renaming of the street since her first term in the council in 2019, but the clamour intensified over the past year.

In her proposal, Gray said that the street's name should retain the link to the British Royal Family as a fitting tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

'In recent weeks as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor stepped away from some of the titles conferred on him, and now with the royal family removing his style, title and honours, we're now in the space to have this conversation,' Gray stated. 'Certainly with the level of public comment locally, it would seem we are long overdue in looking at what it would take to make this change.'

The motion to rename the street was seconded by Alliance councillor Aaron Skinner. It also got unanimous support from everyone in the council.

In the report from the BBC, Ulster Unionist Party councillor Bethany Ferris said, 'Carrickfergus has a long, proud and genuine connection with the Royal Family... As we move to update the name of the road, many in our community feels it important to maintain that historic link but in a manner that reflects dignity, service and integrity.'

Renaming Street 'Deeply Uneasy,' But 'Can Be Done'

Skinner mentioned during Monday's council meeting that he spoke with several residents of the streets who feel 'deeply uneasy' about continuously honouring the fallen prince with the road's name. But he added that renaming the place can be complicated since there are several statutory bodies to consult, including the Royal Household.

Meanwhile, the council's interim chief executive, Valerie Watts, reminded the local councillors that 'there is no current council policy on changing the name of a street.' Yet she vowed to have the officers conduct a full investigation into the necessary steps for the name change before coming up with a full report to the council.

She also added that the residents may be swamped with numerous tasks after the name change, such as changing their address for legal documents, bank accounts and utility bills.

Residents from other areas of the UK, including Shropshire's Prince Andrew Drive, also wants to revise their name.