A petition is urging the new owners of the Windsor Yards shopping centre to rename it Duke of Edinburgh’s Court in honour of Prince Phillip who died last month aged 99.
According to the BBC, the petition organiser, John Webb, said the current name gives an impression of a “dirty, unloved space.” Last week, the center was bought by AEW UK Investments Ltd, who have not yet commented on the matter. Previously in 2017, the name of the shopping centre was changed by its previous owners from King Edward Court. Some campaigners say using a former name would also be more appropriate.
In a statement, Webb told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Windsor Yards, as a name, has many negative connotations – yards sounds like a dirty, low-rent type name and is not in keeping with the area.”
The campaign to change the name was started by local residents and has since been backed by Windsor MP Adam Affriyie.
Mr Affriyie said: “It seems to me that a more fitting name would be well received. I’ve always felt that the word yards is entirely inappropriate for the town centre and have made that clear for some time.”
The petition has since gained more than 600 online signatures. Some say that naming the centre after the Duke would be a “mark of respect” and “much more appealing.”
The Duke of Edinburgh passed away at the age of 99 at Windsor Castle, just about two months before his 100th birthday. He was the longest-serving royal consort in British history.