Calls for street named after disgraced former prince to be changed
A residential street named after the former Prince Andrew could be changed after the disgraced British royal was stripped of his titles amid the growing scandal over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Melbourne's Whittlesea Council said it had received enquiries from locals on Prince Andrew Avenue in Lalor questioning whether a new name would be found for the street.
Whittlesea Council confirmed it had engaged the authoritative body Geographic Names Victoria (GNV) about the issue.
Residents on Prince Andrew Avenue have enquired about whether their street name will change, after the disgraced former royal was stripped of his titles. The Age
"In accordance with the Naming Rules for Places in Victoria, road names should be enduring and changed only when necessary," a Whittlesea Council spokesperson said.
The council said it needed "demonstrated support from a majority of affected residents" to apply to change the thoroughfare's name.
"Should there be clear support from residents of the street for a name change, Council will undertake a formal consultation process and, if appropriate, submit a re-naming proposal to GNV for assessment," the council said.
"Council is currently liaising with the residents who enquired about a name change to discuss next steps."
The move comes after King Charles stripped his brother, now known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, of his titles of Prince and Duke of York in the wake of controversy surrounding his relationship with Epstein.
Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019, weeks after his arrest on sex trafficking charges.
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Andrew was stripped off his royal and military titles last week after growing pressure to expel him from the royal family over his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Getty
Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Nine
Late sexual abuse advocate Virginia Giuffre alleges she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three separate occasions around 2001.
Mountbatten Windsor has strongly denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
In 2022, he paid Giuffre millions in a civil sexual assault lawsuit settlement.
While he didn't admit to any of Giuffre's allegations, he acknowledged that she had suffered as a sexual abuse victim.
Giuffre died by suicide at her home in Neergabby, Western Australia, in April.
Her posthumous memoir detailing her interactions with Andrew and Epstein was released last month.
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.
National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
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