A council in Northern Ireland is set to debate a proposal to change the name of a street honouring the disgraced Prince Andrew, following his dramatic fall from favour within the Royal Family.
The Fall from Grace
The King stripped his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, of all his royal titles earlier this month due to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Duke's links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This decision forced the former prince to leave his 30-room Windsor mansion.
Though Prince Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing, the pressure on the monarchy to take action became overwhelming. This move by the Palace follows a series of damaging revelations, including the emergence of 2011 emails showing Andrew was in contact with Epstein months after he publicly claimed their friendship had ended.
Scrutiny and Allegations
The situation was further inflamed by the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre, a key accuser of Epstein, who died by suicide in April 2025. In her book, published in October, she repeated allegations that, as a teenager, she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three separate occasions. The prince has strenuously and categorically denied these claims.
Unsealed court documents revealed an email from April 2010, in which Andrew told Epstein it would be "good to catch up in person". This was after Epstein's release from prison for solicitation of prostitution involving a minor. The two were later photographed together in New York in December 2010.
The Carrickfergus Motion
Now, elected officials from the Mid and East Antrim Council in County Antrim are responding. A motion for the full council meeting on Monday 24 November 2025 proposes that the council works to rename Prince Andrew Way in the town of Carrickfergus.
The road was originally named to mark Andrew's marriage to Sarah Ferguson in 1986. The motion states: "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."
This is not the first instance of Andrew's name being removed from public view; commemorative plaques in the Falklands have also been stripped of his name. The debate in Carrickfergus signifies the continuing public and institutional backlash against the Duke in the wake of the scandal.
