'Our street is named after Andrew - but we won't change it'

Jonathan GeddesGlasgow and west reporter
Getty Images Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in a dark suit and tieGetty Images
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is no longer a prince or Duke of York.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has lost his titles, his status as prince and his mansion, Royal Lodge, over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Across the country links to the former prince have been removed from institutions ranging from golf clubs to local authorities, keen to distance themselves from the scandal.

However, there is one honour Mountabatten-Windsor has retained - the name of a street in Renfrewshire.

Andrew Avenue is part of a cluster of streets in Renfrew named after the late Queen Elizabeth's children - with Charles Avenue, Anne Avenue and Edward Avenue all nearby.

The local council last year launched a consultation on renaming the street - which has about 50 homes - but residents told BBC Scotland News any switch would be more hassle than it was worth.

Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

A view looking down a street, showing rows of houses on either side and various parked cars. A sign reading Twenty's Plenty - Andrew Avenue is at the top of the street.
Residents of Andrew Avenue have chosen to keep the name rather than consider changing it

In Renfrewshire, the consultation was first suggested last December, following what councillors said were concerns by local residents on the street - understood to have been named in the late 1960s or early 1970s - over being associated with the former Duke of York.

On a quiet, pleasant Thursday morning though, locals in the area repeatedly told BBC News they had more pressing issues on their mind.

For many, linking the street to Andrew or the Royal Family in general had never crossed their mind until recently.

"I've lived in Renfrew all my life, and it was never something I thought of here," said Yvonne Laidlaw.

"These houses have just always been Andrew Avenue to me, you don't think of Prince Andrew just with that, so it doesn't bother me at all."

A woman standing at the entrance to her home, smiling at the camera. She has auburn hair and is wearing a burgundy dress.
Yvonne Laidlaw said she had never associated the street name with the former prince

Those statements were reflected in the consultation itself.

A total of 22 of 52 households responded, with 16 saying they would not support a formal proposal to rename the street.

Four households said they would and two stated there was a mixed opinion among the people living in their home.

The most common concern was that the cost and effort involved would be too much.

Karena Quaile said: "There would be a lot of impact on us if the name changed - you're looking at switching driver's licences and things like that.

"I'm self-employed, so I'd be having to tell contractors about it - it would be a lot of hassle for no real gain, and I don't think people hear the street name and think of Prince Andrew."

A man standing in front of his house and smiling for the camera. e has short white hair, glasses and a blue top on.
Norman Gerrie feels a street name change would be inconvenient

Another resident, Norman Gerrie, felt the same way. He has lived in the street for seven years and had just returned from taking his dog for a walk along the street when he spoke to BBC News.

He said: "I see where people are coming from about it, but I'd rather just remain Andrew Avenue.

"Just changing it for getting bills or anything like that would be inconvenient. Maybe it'd be different if the street was called Prince Andrew Avenue, but it's not, so it doesn't bother me."

Most people who spoke were quick to add they had no time for the former prince, who was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office and later released under investigation. Mountbatten-Windsor denies any wrongdoing.

However, it was issues closer to home, like the state of the street itself, that were raised as being a priority.

A couple of locals did say that as they were relatively new to the area, they wouldn't mind if the street was renamed, but it was not something that particularly bothered them.

Replies to the consultation included a comment that the street name was "totally unacceptable if associated with the former prince", followed by a query about how any change would affect documents relating to their address.

Councillor John Shaw had requested the consultation and spoke at Thursday's full council meeting, where he pointed out the topic had arisen because of a resident bringing it up.

He said: "The residents have expressed clear views and I think from the outset, I believed, and I stated at the time, that this was likely to be the outcome given the potential inconvenience of a name change.

"But I also believed that the people who actually lived in the street deserved the opportunity to have their say."

Karena Quaile - a woman with red hair past her shoulders, smiling into the camera while standing in the hall of her house
Karena Quaile said that in her own mind, she would think of the street as being named after St Andrew

Some suggestions among the consultation replies were to use the name of a flower rather than a person in any re-naming, and to say they did not want their street name associated with Andrew at all.

However, some residents have already hit on arguably the simplest suggestion to the debate.

"It would be easier to just name it after another Andrew, like St Andrew," said Karena.

"Let's keep the name and associate it with a different Andrew."

Theresa Cunningham had similar thoughts.

She added: "We can just think of it as Andy Murray Avenue instead."