A council in Northern Ireland has been barred from naming its headquarters after the late Queen Elizabeth II after being told it did not have a strong enough "Royal connection".

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council's head office - the Braid, which says it "weaves together history, arts and culture alongside contemporary conference, tourism and civic facilities, in Ballymena - had been the subject of a motion which pushed for it to be renamed the Queen Elizabeth II Civic Centre.

The motion to rename the site had been tabled by council representatives from the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party in November 2022 and was backed by the unionist-dominated council.

But the Cabinet Office later vetoed the proposal under what it admitted were its own "strict standards" for Royal naming.

When the change was proposed, a TUV councillor, Matthew Armstrong, sold it as a "fitting and proper" tribute to "an exemplary 70-year reign".

Cllr Armstrong continued to emphasise the importance of the council taking "steps to ensure an enduring legacy to Her late Majesty".

The motion also tabled extending an invitation to King Charles III to rededicate the building in 2023, his coronation year.

But the two Sinn Féin councillors at the time, James McKeown and Ian Friary, voted against the proposal.

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At a Mid and East Antrim Borough Council meeting, a report was presented which said the council "followed the relevant protocols and contacted the Royal Names Team at the Cabinet Office for the renaming of the Braid to be considered."

But the council's request was put down; it was told: "Permission to use the title 'Royal' and other protected titles is granted by His Majesty the King on the advice of his ministers.

"The title 'Royal' is very sparingly granted and strict standards are applied.

"Memorialisation guidance provides that the full title of Queen Elizabeth II will be closely protected and only be granted for applications with strong Royal connections.

"We have carefully considered your request - unfortunately, your application does not demonstrate the level of Royal connection necessary in order to make a favourable recommendation to His Majesty the King in this matter."

The reply was noted at the meeting without comment; GB News has approached Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for a statement on the matter.