Major update in furious row over road named after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Prince Andrew Way in Carrickfergus was named in 1986 to mark Andrew’s wedding to Sarah Ferguson, but the disgraced former royal has since been stripped of his titles
The argument over the road’s name has simmered for years(Image: PA)
A council in Northern Ireland has agreed to start the process to rename a street that was named after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Prince Andrew Way in Carrickfergus was christened in 1986 to commemorate Andrew‘s wedding to Sarah Ferguson. However, the former royal has since been disgraced due to his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and allegations by the late Virginia Giuffre that he sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager.
Andrew denies the accusations but gave up his royal titles, including the Duke of York, in October. The King then initiated “a formal process” to remove Andrew’s style, titles and honours.
Mid and East Antrim Council has agreed to start the process to change the name(Image: Getty Images)
Alliance Party councillor Lauren Gray proposed to Mid and East Antrim Council at a meeting on Monday evening that Prince Andrew Way be renamed.
She said the issue of renaming the street has been suggested to her since she was first elected to the council in 2019, but that over the last year that had grown substantially.
She has proposed that the street be renamed while retaining the link to the Royal Family, with Queen Elizabeth II a “fitting tribute” to the late monarch.
“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,” she said.
“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.
Several parties will need to be consulted on the renaming(Image: PA)
“Carrickfergus has a long connection with the royal family, and when I tabled this motion, it was with the idea of honouring a long-serving monarch, a strong female leader in a male-dominated world.
“Since then many conversations have taken place, online and across different community settings, and what is absolutely clear is that the people of Carrickfergus deserve to have a say in how we progress this going forward.”
The motion was seconded by Alliance councillor Aaron Skinner and received unanimous support from all parties on the council, including the DUP, UUP, TUV and Sinn Féin.
Officials are now expected to prepare a report for councillors regarding the street renaming, which will outline how residents of Carrickfergus can participate in a public consultation on the matter. The council was informed that approximately 10 addresses are located on the street in question.
The authority’s interim chief executive Valerie Watts warned that no existing council policy covers street name changes, and while achievable, the process is complex.
“Clearly I respect the views of the chamber this evening on this particularly emotive issue, however what I do need to advise members is that there is no council policy for changing the name of a street, and it’s not just straightforward,” she said.
“Residents absolutely need to be consulted because it can have far reaching implications for them, such as changing your address for your bank account, credit cards, driver’s licence, utility bills etc, however it can be done and council do have the power to change street names.”
She explained that other agencies, including Royal Mail, would need to be consulted, with council staff conducting a thorough investigation into requirements before presenting a comprehensive report back to the council.
Ms Gray responded: “I think we are aware of the process that this will take… I think the important thing here tonight is that we’re taking that step forward to empower the officers and the staff team to look at how we can make this happen.”
