Council considers changing name of Prince Andrew Way after Mountbatten-Windsor scandal

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been stripped of all his titles and now a council will debate changing a street named after him

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Councillors will debate a proposal to change a street named after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in a town in Northern Ireland.

The disgraced prince’s fall from grace has seen the King remove his brother’s titles due to controversy over Andrew’s links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Though he has always denied any wrongdoing, Andrew’s association with Epstein put increased pressure on the royal family to act. After the Palace announced earlier this month that Andrew would lose all his royal titles, it said he would leave his 30-room mansion in Windsor.

Andrew’s name has already been stripped from commemorative plaques in the Falklands and now elected officials from Mid and East Antrim Council in County Antrim will debate a proposal to remove his name from a street in the town of Carrickfergus.

Prince Andrew Way was named to mark the former prince’s marriage to Sarah Ferguson in 1986. It could soon change its name.

Among the motions for Monday 24 November’s full council meeting is: “That Council will work to rename Prince Andrew Way in Carrickfergus while maintaining the important link to the Royal Family.

“As Council has been exploring ways to honour Queen Elizabeth II, we believe this would be a fitting tribute and options should be presented back to Councillors for a final decision.”

The royal family’s decision to strip Andrew of his title came as emails from 2011 reemerged in October showing Andrew in contact with Epstein months after he claimed their friendship had ended.

Pressure has also followed from the posthumous memoir of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, who repeated allegations that, as a teenager, she was made to have sex with Andrew on three separate occasions. He has strenuously denied the allegations.

Unsealed court documents show that Andrew told Epstein it would be “good to catch up in person” months after the latter was released from prison for solicitation of prostitution and of solicitation of prostitution with a minor.

In an email dated 15 April 2010, following a suggestion from Epstein that Andrew should meet American banker Jes Staley, Andrew said he would try to “drop by” New York later in the year.

The two were pictured together in New York in December 2010, in a meeting Andrew claimed in his 2019 Newsnight interview was to break off their friendship.

Andrew then wrote to Epstein after a photo of him with Virginia Giuffre was published in 2011 to say: “I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”

During the 2019 interview he said he had “no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever”. He “categorically” denied having sex with Virginia Giuffre between 2001, when she was 17, and 2002.

Andrew subsequently said he would be stepping back from public life, and in 2022 it was announced that he would not use “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity. He paid a financial settlement to Ms Giuffre to end a civil court case, denying any wrongdoing.

Ms Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025. Her posthumous memoir, published in October, detailed her experiences with Epstein and Maxwell. She also detailed alleged interactions with Andrew.

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