Prince Andrew breaks cover hours after release of Netflix drama that’s ‘very harmful’ for royals
Royal expert reveals how the show could 'embarrass' the family
PRINCE Andrew has broken cover just hours after the release of Netflix’s new royal drama, Scoop.
The film stars Rufus Sewell and Gillian Anderson and tracks Andrew’s disastrous Newsnight interview with the BBC‘s Emily Maitlis in November 2019.
The show aired for the first time today and has already been labelled “very harmful” to the Royal Family by experts.
And while fans rush to watch the drama, Prince Andrew has been spotted riding a horse at Windsor Castle.
Snaps showed him grinning as he rode along the paths, waving to people on the grounds.
He broke cover just hours after the show went public.
NEWSNIGHT NIGHTMARE
During the notorious Newsnight interview, Andrew told Maitlis that he could not have had sex with 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre because on the day she alleged it happened, he was at Pizza Express in Woking for a kids’ party with daughter Beatrice.
He also insisted that he could not have “sweated profusely” due to a medical condition he claims to have developed while serving in the Falklands War as a Navy helicopter pilot.
Andrew also defended his relationship with Epstein, saying that knowing the financier had “some seriously beneficial outcomes”, but added that his reason for meeting him in 2010 was to “put an end to the friendship”.
‘ENTITLED STREAK’
Yesterday, a royal expert said the Duke of York’s “terrifying” trait would be exposed in the show.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said that the Duke of York has a “terrifyingly entitled streak”.
The Duke had sat down with Maitlis for a wide-ranging interview and discussed his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: “He has this terrifyingly entitled streak… And I think you’ll find millions tuning in again to see a depiction of it.
“The reports are that Princess Beatrice is certainly not happy with it, apparently she features.”
He added that the programme would be “very embarrassing, and it won’t be helpful for the Royal Family”.
He has this terrifyingly entitled streak… And I think you’ll find millions tuning in again to see a depiction of it
Richard Fitzwilliams
Mr Fitzwilliams said that the drama will not only remind people of “how horrendous” the Newsnight interview was, but of “how entitled a member of the Royal Family can be”.
He added: “Scoop is part of Netflix, and I think you’ll find a lot of people, I think they’ll watch it on Friday, because there’s been so much publicity.
“I think it will be very harmful.”
Inside Andrew's Infamous Newsnight Interview
The interview in November 2019 saw him grilled over his links with dead paedo Jeffrey Epstein, his pal Ghislaine Maxwell and allegations he had sex with a 17-year-old.
During the interview, Andrew said he had “no recollection” of meeting Virginia Giuffre – who he is alleged to have had sex with at Maxwell’s house in London.
He even provided an “alibi” claiming that the night the alleged encounter took place he was at a Pizza Express birthday party in Woking with his daughter Princess Beatrice.
Epstein committed suicide in a jail cell in August 2019, just a month after he was arrested for sex trafficking minors.
A flood of horrific accounts of his abuse of young girls then followed.
In 2022, socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was jailed for 20 years for abusing and grooming dozens of girls for twisted Epstein.
The convicted sex trafficker and Andrew would allegedly flirt with each other when they hung out together on Epstein’s notorious Caribbean island Little St James, the former housekeeper has claimed.
After Maxwell’s sentence, the Duke of York was said to be the lawyers’ “next target” of a probe into the sex ring controlled by multimillionaire paedophile Epstein.
The Duke agreed to a £12million settlement with sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre in February 2022.
‘NO REMORSE’
Mr Fitzwilliams said that the Queen would not have had “the faintest idea of what was going to happen, and the parts of it, event and legend”.
He added: “When I talk about legend, I mean comedy legend, the sweating which hasn’t been explained, the weird Pizza Express in Woking aspect of it.
“A serious, serious part of it, of course, was the fact that he expressed absolutely no remorse for the victims of Epstein.
“When asked if he regretted his association with the deceased Jeffrey Epstein, he answered that he didn’t.”
Mr Fitzwilliams added: “This will be very embarrassing, and it won’t be helpful for the royal family…
“Andrew has appeared recently quite often, but I stress that those are in only in the context of religious services of one sort or another, and there’s no question if you’re doing anything else, not foreseeably, absolutely not.”
A serious, serious part of it, of course, was the fact that he expressed absolutely no remorse for the victims of Epstein
Richard Fitzwilliams
In February 2022, Andrew settled with his sex crime accuser Virginia Roberts.
The settlement was announced in a joint letter weeks before he was due to face court.
In the joint statement, Andrew’s lawyers wrote: “It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years.
“Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.”
Key Moment Prince Andrew ‘Lost Composure’
By ABIGAIL WILSON
A BODY language pro has spotted the key moment Prince Andrew ‘lost composure’ during his ‘car crash’ Newsnight interview.
Back in November 2019, Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II‘s second son, sat down with Emily Maitlis to discuss his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Following the sit-down BBC interview, body language expert Judi James told Fabulous about the key moment when Andrew realised things weren’t going to be a ‘walk in the park’.
Judi revealed that not even seven minutes into the interview, it was clear that things were going to go downhill for the royal.
She explained: “There is a subtle turning point in the tone of the interview and in Andrew’s body language responses as he first appears to show signs of a loss of composure as though sensing this might not be the mere walk in the park he might have been expecting.
“Up to this point, Andrew has appeared confident and in control, displaying several power signals to emphasise his royal status.
“His eye contact is quite strong, his brows are often raised, his affirmations firm and his hands are clasped in a steepling gesture that implies superior status and power.
“His authority is verbal, too, using phrases like ‘You have to remember…’”
After just six and a half minutes of the sit-down chat, Judi added: “At this point in the interview though, Emily starts to show her more forensic side and the chat begins to sound more like a grilling in court.
“She gets a series of one-word affirmations about Andrew having visited Epstein’s ‘Private plane?’ ‘Private island?’ ‘Home in Palm Beach?’ and ‘Ghislaine’s house?’
“Emily’s comment ‘Just for the record…’ makes the tone sound more serious though.
“Her words ‘In 2006 in May…’ is her forensic-sounding next point and it is here Andrew’s body language shifts [a] gear.”
As a result, Judi recognised: “His eyes perform an exaggerated eye-roll and he breaks his precision hand clasp to lean back and begin to rub his chin, which becomes a truncated gesture as he looks down to the side.
“It looks like a moment when the gloves come off and after mention of Epstein being invited ‘In July to Windsor Castle to your daughter’s 18th birthday party’, Andrew’s vocal tone drops and his expression looks suddenly cold as he tells Emily ‘I was asking Ghislaine’.”
DIMINISHED ROLE
Discussing Prince Andrew’s recent duties, Mr Fitzwilliams said: “He’s only been visible at events… Religious ceremonies, the induction of the new Dean of Windsor, the memorial service to King Constantine.
“Because William, as we know now why, pulled out at the last minute, Andrew and Sarah Ferguson appeared to be, so to speak, very prominent.
When asked if he regretted his association with the deceased Jeffrey Epstein, he answered that he didn’t
Richard Fitzwilliams
“I mean that he’s still a member of the Royal family, hasn’t been convicted of anything, and from that point of view, when it comes to religious services that seems to me perfectly fine.
“Sarah Ferguson is, of course, as we know, unwell.
“She had a mastectomy last year, and then she’s now apparently has melanoma.”
Andrew's Bizarre Newsnight Claims
By KATIE DAVIS
PRINCE Andrew infamously claimed he couldn’t sweat and rarely “partied” in his car-crash Newsnight interview – now immortalised by Netflix.
But photos appear to paint a very different picture of the Duke of York‘s younger days when he was branded The Playboy Prince.
The nation cringed as they watched Andrew offer bizarre defences to questions put to him by then BBC Newsnight host Emily Maitlis in 2019.
Asked about Virginia Giuffre‘s claims he was “sweating profusely” when they are said to have danced together at Tramp nightclub in London, the royal said he had a “peculiar medical condition”.
That condition, he claimed, meant he “didn’t sweat at the time”.
His accuser Giuffre claims she danced with the Duke before going back to Ghislaine Maxwell‘s house on the night of March 10, 2001.
It was there that the notorious photo of the late Queen‘s favourite son with his arm around the 17-year-old Virginia was taken, as Ghislaine watched on.
Giuffre claims Jeffrey Epstein paid her around £8,000 after she had sex with Andrew.
He also famously claimed he could not have been at Tramps that night as he was at Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey.
In another cringe-worthy moment in the Newsnight interview – dramatised in the new Netflix film Scoop – Andrew claimed he rarely “partied” and wasn’t a fan of public displays of affection.
But he was often snapped with his arms around glamorous women back in the day – including Heidi Klum and Chris Von Aspen.
Click here to see seven times the Prince was seen sweating and partying – despite his claims.