Council to debate street name change in Carrickfergus

Councillors in Mid and East Antrim are due to discuss a proposal later on Monday to change a street sign named after Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

Last month, the King “initiated a formal process” to remove his brother’s titles following controversy over Andrew’s friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew’s association with Epstein has created difficulties for the Royal Family, but he has always strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Prince Andrew Way in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, is among the streets in Northern Ireland named after the royal. It was named to mark Andrew’s marriage to Sarah Ferguson in 1986.

Monday’s agenda for Mid and East Antrim Council’s monthly meeting includes a proposal from Alliance to rename the street.

It calls for the street name to be changed while still “maintaining the important link to the Royal Family”.

The motion goes on to say that as the council has been considering ways to honour Queen Elizabeth II, renaming it after her could be a “fitting tribute”.

A small number of homes are situated on the street, as well as some businesses.

Other political parties including the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) have also said they are in favour of the street being renamed, but it is not clear how long the process could take if the council agrees to the move on Monday evening.

Earlier in October, Andrew issued a personal statement saying he would be relinquishing all of his royal titles, including the Duke of York.

This included his title of Baron Killyleagh which had been awarded to him by his mother, Elizabeth II, on his wedding day in 1986.

It followed the re-emergence of emails from 2011, showing Andrew in contact with Epstein months after he claimed their friendship ended.

The stripping of all of Andrew’s titles was formally published earlier this month.