Epstein connection could lead to new name for Prince Andrew Road in Ontario town

Caledon is just one of several Ontario municipalities scrambling to rename assets honouring the disgraced former Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his royal titles over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The small road in Caledon East only has around a dozen homes on it, but Town Coun. Doug Maskell said in a committee earlier this month that he plans to put forward a motion to rename Prince Andrew Drive.

Now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former royal is the brother of King Charles III and son of the late Queen Elizabeth II. His relationship with the late Epstein and renewed sexual abuse allegations saw the 65-year-old Mountbatten-Windsor evicted from his royal residence and stripped of his remaining titles earlier this month.

His title of  Duke of York and his military honours had been stripped in 2022.

The move to remove Mountbatten-Windsor from the royal family has led to the possible name change in Caledon. Mississauga is also considering changing the name of Duke of York Boulevard, while Selwyn Township is looking to change the name of Prince Andrew Island.

Maskell told CBC that stripping Prince Andrew’s name from any and all municipal assets is “the right thing for all communities across Canada.”

“In a situation like this, where we have the sovereign of Canada stripping his own brother of all of his titles and awards and honours, I think the least we can do here is reflect that in our town,” Maskell said.

The town introduced an asset naming policy in 2023, preventing assets from being named after individuals. The street was named Prince Andrew Drive some 30 years ago, when Mountbatten-Windsor had a reputation “that was rather unsullied at that point,” Maskell said.

“He’s a war hero from the Falklands war, so everything looked good. So it wouldn’t have been perceived as a problem naming a street, a school or a square after him at the time,” he said.

The motion to rename Prince Andrew Drive will go before Town Council on Nov. 25, and Maskell said he doesn’t expect any pushback from council colleagues.

A former history teacher before joining town council, Maskell said that naming things after people “can be fraught with peril.”

“Because things change over time, and the fact is, information comes out over time that was not part of the public purview,” he said, adding that “hopefully we’ll continue to be on the right side of history here.”