In November 2019, BBC’s Newsnight aired what quickly became one of the most talked-about royal interviews in history. Prince Andrew sat down with journalist Emily Maitlis in an effort, according to reports at the time, to address growing questions over his association with Jeffrey Epstein. What unfolded instead was a broadcast that reportedly deepened public concern and led to lasting reputational damage for the Duke of York.
During the interview, Andrew denied allegations that he had engaged in sexual misconduct and insisted that he had no recollection of meeting the late Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was trafficked by Epstein. At one point, Andrew said he was at Pizza Express in Woking with his daughter on the night in question. He also claimed he was unable to sweat due to a medical condition. These remarks, among others, were replayed widely in the days after the broadcast and continue to be cited years later.
The reaction was swift and, according to many accounts, overwhelmingly negative. Advisors to the royal family were said to be shocked by how poorly the interview was received. Within days, Andrew announced that he would step back from royal duties. The Evening Standard quoted one source as saying the broadcast was “the PR equivalent of setting off a nuclear bomb.”
That exchange is now being revisited through the Amazon miniseries A Very Royal Scandal, a three-part dramatization that focuses on how the interview was secured, how it unfolded in the BBC studio, and what followed once it aired. The series stars Ruth Wilson as Emily Maitlis and Michael Sheen as Prince Andrew. Wilson captures the journalist’s steady, deliberate approach, while Sheen’s performance as the Duke of York has been described as measured and believable. His portrayal does not attempt to pass judgment on Andrew’s guilt or innocence but instead presents the character faithfully to the real-life interview as remembered by viewers.
Unlike an earlier dramatization starring Gillian Anderson, which told the story from another perspective, A Very Royal Scandal zeroes in on the dynamics between Maitlis and Andrew and the high-stakes atmosphere of the recording. The series also explores the BBC’s behind-the-scenes debates over whether the palace would allow such an interview to happen at all and the tension among advisers inside Buckingham Palace once the decision was made.
For Maitlis, the original Newsnight program was career-defining, cementing her reputation as a broadcaster willing to press even the most senior figures with sharp and unrelenting questions. Ruth Wilson’s performance highlights those qualities, illustrating how Maitlis maintained composure and balance under extraordinary circumstances.
The dramatization also revisits the hours immediately following the broadcast, when the scale of the fallout became clear. News outlets around the world replayed the most striking clips, while commentators openly questioned the wisdom of Andrew’s decision to sit for the interview in the first place. The BBC team, meanwhile, found themselves at the center of global attention for having delivered one of the most consequential interviews in the corporation’s history.
What gives the miniseries additional resonance is that the Epstein story itself continues to generate headlines. New documents, reports, and questions about the circumstances of Epstein’s 2019 death in a New York jail cell have kept the scandal in the news. More than one outlet and commentator has publicly questioned the official account of suicide, ensuring that public interest in the case remains strong. Against that backdrop, A Very Royal Scandal underscores why the original Newsnight interview has not been forgotten.
Four years after it was first broadcast, the conversation between Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew is still studied and debated as an extraordinary moment in media history. The Amazon series brings that moment back into public view, reminding audiences not only of what was said but also of how a single interview can reshape public perception of one of the most prominent figures in British life.
