King Charles breaks silence on Andrew drama as ‘further embarrassment’ hits Royal Family
King Charles will likely not watch a new series about the Duke of York’s career-ending interview, which he thinks will cause “embarrassment to all concerned”, a royal expert has claimed.
The Amazon series, which dropped yesterday, stars Michael Sheen as Prince Andrew and will focus on his infamous 2019 interview surrounding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
A Very Royal Scandal will serialise the 64-year-old’s infamous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, who will be played by Ruth Wilson, over allegations regarding his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre. Maitlis is also producing the series.
The three-part series follows both Andrew and Maitlis in the leadup to the interview, the sit-down itself, and the fallout which changed both of their lives.
Prince Andrew was reportedly so excited to watch the series, that he hosted a viewing party last night in Royal Lodge. However, not all members of the Royal Family were so thrilled.
Jennie Bond, a former BBC royal correspondent, said that Andrew’s brother will probably not be tuning in.
She told OK!: “I don’t imagine the King will watch it, but he will be made aware of its contents and any repercussions I’m sure. It’s bound to be a further embarrassment for all concerned.”
Bond added: “Andrew really is the problem that refuses to go away.
I’m sure the King, and indeed Andrew, wish the interview had never taken place, even though Andrew was so pleased with it immediately after the filming.”
Earlier this year, rival streaming colossus Netflix released the film Scoop, which is based on the same scandal.
Speaking of the rivalry between the Netflix and Amazon projects, Maitlis told Deadline: “I think that probably is overplayed, overstated. This [the Amazon series] will be a very different beast. I’m sure there’s room for both.”
She said that she left Netflix “to do their own thing because I think the last thing they want is me peeking around the edges.
Bond said: “As Emily was so involved with this show – as opposed to the last one – it’s getting much more publicity than I imagined it would.”
In the now infamous November 2019 interview with the former BBC presenter, Andrew vigorously denied the allegations that he sexually assaulted Giuffre.
Giuffre brought a civil case against Andrew for sexual assault, and the 64-year-old later reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre. The settlement was not an admission of guilt and Andrew accepted no liability.
The new series is part of an anthology of limited seasons which include 2018’s A Very English Scandal starring Hugh Grant and 2021’s A Very British Scandal, about the infamous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argylle, played by Paul Bettany and Claire Foy.
