Party or Poor Judgment? Prince Andrew Under Fire for Hosting Viewing Party of Epstein Interview TV Drama
Princess Beatrice and Prince Andrew are “not troubled” by an upcoming TV series about their lives, with the duke so excited that he is “planning a viewing party”.
The Amazon series, which drops tomorrow, stars Michael Sheen as the duke 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.
The Duke of York is reportedly so excited about the series that he is hosting a “mini viewing party” at his home.
A source told The Daily Express: “Andrew was very excited when Scoop came out and he’s also looking forward to seeing how he’s been portrayed in the new one [A Very Royal Scandal].
“He’s planning to watch it like everyone else with a mini viewing party [at Royal Lodge].”
Beatrice is also said to be calm ahead of its release, with the source adding that the father and daughter are “so troubled by the release of this one.
“Beatrice was very troubled prior to the launch of Scoop because she thought it would ruin all the good work she had done, but it quickly became evident that the portrayal of her was respectful, so she is not in as much fear about this one [A Very Royal Scandal].”
It comes after rival streaming colossus Netflix released Scoop, which is based on the same scandal, back in April.
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”.
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.
