Former prince Andrew was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.Jordan Pettitt/The Associated Press
A tiny island in Ontario named after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is on course to be renamed, after revelations about the disgraced former prince’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Prince Andrew Island is located on the Otonabee River that runs by Lakefield, Ont., where the discredited member of the Royal Family went to school for a term.
Sherry Senis, the mayor of Selwyn Township, where Prince Andrew Island is located, said staff at Selwyn council has been directed to explore the formal process to rename the island.
She said Curve Lake First Nation, the local Ojibwa community, is to be consulted on the prospective name change next week.
How the former prince Andrew fell from the Queen’s favourite son to a royal embarrassment
Prince Andrew Island is located next to the slightly larger Gordonstoun Island, named after the austere Scottish boarding school attended by Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor, his elder brother King Charles III and their father, Prince Philip.
The beleaguered former prince attended the private Lakefield College School, in the village of Lakefield, north of Peterborough, Ont., for six months in 1977. He later maintained ties with the school, serving as a trustee and as honorary chair of the school’s foundation, roles that ended several years ago.
“Selwyn Council has directed staff to explore the formal process required to rename Prince Andrew and Gordonstoun islands that are located in Selwyn Township,” said Ms. Senis in a statement.
The process is expected to take several months and requires submitting a formal application to the Ontario Geographic Naming Board.
The fall of a royal: from dashing prince to plain old Andrew
Emma Harrison, the Liberal MP for Peterborough whose riding includes the school and Prince Andrew Island, told The Globe and Mail previously she is “fully supportive” of renaming the island.
A clutch of streets in Canada are named after the former prince, who was stripped of his former titles over his ties to the late sex offender Mr. Epstein.
They include Prince Andrew Drive, a winding street in a semi-rural neighbourhood in Caledon, in the Greater Toronto Area.
“While we are aware of the recent arrest of former Prince Andrew and the concerns it may raise within the community, any reconsideration of a municipal street name would require a formal review process and public feedback,” the Town of Caledon said in a statement.
Toronto’s Don Mills neighbourhood has a street called Prince Andrew Place with several commercial properties, while in St. Catharines, Ont., just a stroll from the banks of Lake Ontario, there is Prince Andrew Court. In Oak Bay, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, there is another Prince Andrew Place.
Read King Charles III’s full statement about the arrest of his brother Andrew
A number of Canadian institutions have already distanced themselves from Queen Elizabeth II’s second son over his friendship with Mr. Epstein.
Prince Andrew High School in Dartmouth was named in his honour in 1960, the year he was born. But in 2022, it changed its name to Woodlawn High School in response to the controversy.
The former prince, who is eighth in line to the throne, became royal patron of the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ont., in 2007, and honorary chair of its national council in 2018. The museum severed ties with him in 2019.
In 2022, Elizabeth II stripped her third child of his military titles and royal patronages, including in Canada. He had been honorary colonel-in-chief of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, as well as the Princess Louise Fusiliers, based in Halifax, and the Queen’s York Rangers.