Life on Prince Andrew Road: How families could be stuck living on roads named after scandal-hit royal due to little-known rule

Families living on streets named after disgraced royal Prince Andrew have been left in limbo thanks to a little-known rule.

Prince Andrew Road and neighbouring Prince Andrew Close in Maidenhead were named in 1960 when Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to her third child.

For years locals on the leafy suburban street, just six miles from Windsor, were content with their regal street name.

But after the royal had his titles stripped by away by King Charles, amid the growing controversy surrounding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, residents have been split on what to do next. 

Office manager Jack Dawson, 33, who has lived on Prince Andrew Road for one year, said he wants the name removed ‘as soon as possible’.

He said: ‘I’d say just get rid of the Andrew bit, maybe just call it Prince Road or something.

‘When I moved in I did think the name was a bit dodgy. And it’s just got worse with the new things that have come out. So I think we just need to start again.

‘I’m very concerned people wouldn’t live here because of the name. We might want to sell in a few years and it’ll go down in value as a result.’

Last week, Buckingham Palace confirmed Andrew would no longer be known as prince and would have to leave Royal Lodge

Warren Thomas, 49, (pictured) who has lived on the road for three years and said the strength of feeling against keeping it was big

Another resident  Michael Collins, 67, said the situation among residents was starting to get ‘heated’.

He said: ‘The whole thing is casting a cloud over everybody. It’s dividing opinion. It’s getting heated.

‘People have very passionate views. I personally think keep it how it is, it’d be a right headache I think if it changed.

‘But people are very territorial. You’re either in one camp or the other.’

Despite the justified protestations of residents on the street, it is not just as simple as complaining to the council.

Thanks to rules put in place in 2022 under Boris Johnson’s government, in order for a street name to be changed two thirds of people who live or run a business on that road must agree. 

To complicate matters for locals like Mr Collins and Mr Dawson, not all of their neighbours feel the same.

Sunny Joshi, 51, said she felt it should remain, only because of the ‘hassle’ changing it would cause.

The customer service manager said: ‘It’s a very embarrassing name now.

‘Andrew’s friendship with Epstein and his communication with him is really, really bad. It’s terrible. It’s wrong on so many levels.

‘I totally oppose what he did. The fact we have a road named after him is rubbish. It’s really bad.

‘But I just think there are things named after very bad people that are still up and running or have not been taken down. Do we do that to all of them?

‘I think it would cost taxpayers money to have them removed and I don’t agree with that. Money could be spent on better things than changing road names.’

Ms Joshi said the administration associated with it ‘worries’ her.

She added: ‘I am hesitant sometimes when I tell people where I live. I don’t sit here thinking about it all the time but it does worry me.’

Susan Clarke, 81, who has lived on the road for 48 years since 1977, said she now wanted to see it removed.

She said: ‘I have thought long and hard and changed my name a few times about it.

‘I think we just need to get rid of it. We need a fresh start.

‘I think the King and Queen are brilliant and so are William and Kate. Andrew has been unbelievably stupid.

‘I have been here many, many years. For a long time since it all happened I thought it would be too much trouble to do it. Now I think there’s too much strong feeling against it for it to remain.

‘It needs to change.’

Warren Thomas, 49, who has lived on the road for three years and said the strength of feeling against keeping it was big.

He added: ‘There’s people with stronger opinions than me on both sides. It’s certainly created a divide of opinion.

‘I have two children, so it’s far from ideal when you look at who he spent a lot of time with.

‘The street name didn’t bother me at the time when I bought it.’

Susan Clarke, 81, (pictured) who has lived on the road for 48 years since 1977, said she now wanted to see it removed

Families living on streets named after disgraced royal Prince Andrew have been left in limbo thanks to a little-known rule

Meanwhile in Norwich residents living on Prince Andrews Close and Prince Andrews Road said there have been incidents of vandalism. 

Last week, district councillor for Hellesdon North West, Shelagh Gurney put out a call on Facebook to see if residents wanted to change the names of the road and close.

She said: ‘We’ve got a road and a close in Hellesdon named Prince Andrews Road and Prince Andrews Close.

‘I had a few enquiries about six months ago where this debacle was spun out in the media. After the latest derobing I had a few more enquiries including some Facebook coverage.

‘So I decided to get in touch with the officer in Broadland District Council who was involved in street naming and he came back to me with a good response about what the implications were and there were 107 properties involved and they all had to be unanimous in their decision.

‘You would have to change the Land Registry entries for each house, property records, passports, driving licences and it could amount to quite a considerable amount and onus borne by the residents themselves.

‘I’ve had a few objections on the grounds of finances.

‘A lot of people would like it changed because they do not want the association [with Prince Andrew] going forward but people are not prepared to cough up the cost of the relevant changes.

‘The district council would have to notify all the utility companies, the ambulance service. It’s just a big nightmare to get it all sorted.’

She said the suburb of Hellesdon was built in the late 1940s, and the estate where Prince Andrews Road and Close sit was built in the 1960s.

There is speculation that the roads were named after Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, Prince Philip’s father, who died in 1944. 

Brian Spooner, 88, a retired design engineer for Lotus cars lives with his wife Jean in a handsome house on Prince Andrews Road.

He said of the name change: ‘I’ve got a very open mind on it. It’s an address and I don’t really want to go to the huge trouble of changing my address with a lot of people we know, including businesses.

‘If it weren’t for that I would probably say I would have no real objection [to the road name being changed].

‘That [the sprayed out ‘Andrew’] has been there for a long time. I don’t know who did it.

‘I think we all like a respect the Royal family. There’s no doubt about that.’

Philip Vincent, 69, is a retired bus driver who lives on Prince Andrews Close. He said of changing the street names: ‘I think it would be a waste of time. Imagine, you’d have to change your driving licence, your passport, gas and electric and what would you gain?’

Last week, Buckingham Palace confirmed Andrew would no longer be known as prince and would have to leave Royal Lodge. 

In a bombshell statement, Buckingham Palace said he will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – with immediate effect.

‘His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,’ the statement said.

‘Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence.

‘Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation.

‘These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.

‘Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.’