Inside Prince Andrew’s lonely life as a Royal exile after controversial Newsnight interview as A Very Royal Scandal streams on Prime Video

For years, Prince Andrew has been fighting to rebuild his image, first because of his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and then after his car-crash Newsnight interview.

A new Amazon Prime Video three-part series, A Very Royal Scandal, dramatising the bombshell interview, will be released tomorrow.

The programme follows the real-life story of how the interview was set up and the famous 2019 BBC One encounter that followed between Prince Andrew and journalist Emily Maitlis. 

Andrew was pilloried for his TV performance because of a lack of contrition for his friendship with the paedophile and his failure to express sympathy for the dozens of women Epstein trafficked and abused over three decades.

His alibis for not having sex with Virginia Roberts three times, including being in Woking’s Pizza Express, have also been widely ridiculed by the public. 

However, the royal, who stepped back from public duties in 2019 following the Epstein scandal, appeared relaxed today in the face of the new series, looking carefree as he rode his horse through Windsor Castle’s surrounds. 

Tomorrow sees the much-anticipated unveiling of Prime’s take on the interview that would spark the Prince stepping back from public duty – a role he had undertaken for most of his life. 

But today, Andrew, 64, was pictured in Windsor Park enjoying a September canter in the sunshine. 

Wearing a black and white riding hat, waxed jacket and jodphurs, the late Queen’s youngest son smiled as he rode through Great Windsor Park. 

Amazon Prime released the trailer for upcoming drama A Very Royal Scandal last Wednesday, after announcing when it will drop on the streamer.

The three part series will premiere on 19 September exclusively on Prime Video in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The first episode sees Prince Andrew attempt to declare his innocence as he finds himself at the centre of an international scandal while Newsnight presenter, Emily, does everything within her power to secure an interview with him.

The second instalment features the interview but the meeting takes various twists and turns that neither Emily, nor the Newsnight team, could have expected.

Finally, in the third episode Prince Andrew is left to navigate the fallout for himself, his family, and the Royal firm as Emily considers her reputation and the future of her career.

Maitlis is played by actress Ruth Wilson, 42, while Michael Sheen portrays the Duke Of York. The Prime series comes just five months after rival streaming platform Netflix‘s version, which was out on April 5.

In the trailer, Wilson’s Emily can be seen pursuing the story that would make her a global household name and destroy the Prince’s reputation in a pivotal moment in British history.

Before the interview, the Duke of York quips: ‘I’m going to blow this out of the water.’

He adds in a voiceover: ‘I’ve been warned about you. You have a bit of a reputation.’

Emily then cheekily responds, while sitting across from him: ‘Well, for you, I’ll try and behave.’

It then cuts to the interview and then its aftermath, where Emily says: ‘I was only ever hoping to ask the right questions.’

The upcoming series by Amazon MGM Studios will focus far more on Emily – who serves as an executive producer, whereas Netflix’s Scoop focused on Prince Andrew.

A spokesperson for Amazon confirmed the series will ‘follow Emily Maitlis’ professional and personal journey as a Newsnight journalist, leading up to her acclaimed interview with Prince Andrew.’

A press released added: ‘A Very Royal Scandal follows the action of Emily and Prince Andrew in the lead-up to the interview, the ground-breaking event itself and the many questions left in its wake that would change their lives forever.’

Yet the question many may ask after watching the programme is what happened next for the beleaguered prince?

From losing his title to settling his lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew’s life was anything but peaceful after his car-crash Newsnight interview. 

Here, MailOnline reveals just what Prince Andrew has got up to since sitting down and talking about his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein on November 16, 2019…

Andrew loses sponsors and patronages, November 2019

One of the first to jump was KPMG, which pulled the plug on its sponsorship of Prince Andrew’s Dragons Den-style entrepreneur scheme Pitch@Palace on November 18. KPMG was paying £100,000 a year to the scheme.

Charities and schools linked to Prince Andrew were also in disarray as they distanced themselves from the under-fire royal.

Children North East and The Children’s Foundation, both charities Andrew lists on his official website, refused to tell MailOnline if he would keep his official role supporting them in light of the Epstein scandal. 

The Council of British International Schools [COBIS] praised the duke’s work with them since 2011 but also refused to say if their link with the prince remained.

London Metropolitan University revealed on November 19 that it was reviewing the Duke of York’s role as its patron in the wake of his BBC interview three days ago.

Huddersfield University launched a campaign for Andrew to resign as chancellor, saying he is ‘not the sort of role model students should have’. 

Advertising Week Europe, which had supported the Pitch@Palace project and was hailed as an official supporter by the prince, became the latest company to pull its backing for the beleaguered duke on November 19.

Pitch@Palace was forced to delete the webpage hailing its 35 key backers – and five big businesses: Advertising Week Europe, KPMG, Aon, Standard Chartered and Gravity Road said they would no longer be working with the charity.

Andrew breaks cover for the first time since the Newsnight interview

Prince Andrew finally broke cover on November 19, 72 hours after his BBC catastrophe as he was banished from royal duties and sent to sit behind a desk at his mother’s house.

The Duke of York should have been meeting flood-hit communities in the north of England but instead he was diverted to Buckingham Palace as the backlash after his Newsnight special kept getting worse. 

Sources close to the Queen denied she had summoned her son from Windsor for crisis talks amid the furore over his interview about convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

They insisted it was ‘business as usual’ for the beleaguered royal and they angrily hit back at media coverage of the debacle, saying the public ‘traducing’ of the prince was turning into a ‘personality-motivated witch-hunt’.

But his visit to the flood-hit towns of Fishlake and Stainforth in South Yorkshire was called off as big businesses abandoned him because of his toxic links to Epstein and allegations he had sex with the paedophile’s ‘slave’ Virginia Roberts when she was 17.

Public confidence in him was also on the rocks after a poll found just one in 20 people who watched the Newsnight special were convinced by his bizarre alibis including being in Pizza Express on the night Virginia Giuffre claims they had sex in London.

The Queen ‘sacked’ Prince Andrew from royal duties on November 19 after discussing the crisis with Prince Charles and summoning her distraught ‘favourite son’ to Buckingham Palace to learn his fate.

The Queen took decisive action against her second son in a desperate bid to contain the fall-out from the duke’s Newsnight interview about his years of friendship with the paedophile.  

Prince Charles, who was in New Zealand with Camilla, is said to have stepped in and made it clear his younger brother be stripped of all royal duties. 

Andrew lost his £249,000 annual income from the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant as a result.

Andrew signalled he would speak to FBI detectives investigating billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein as he readied himself for a subpoena from US lawyers demanding he gives evidence under oath. 

Prince Andrew’s right-hand woman was sacked from her role, and switched to running his tech awards and business funding scheme.

Amanda Thirsk, who was instrumental in persuading the beleaguered royal to agree to his Newsnight interview, was told on November 20 by Andrew that she will no longer be his private secretary. 

Prince Andrew reportedly went to Buckingham Palace to fire his top aide on the Queen’s orders. 

Photos emerged on November 23, 2019, of Prince Andrew deep in conversation with a female friend as he enjoyed a party at Tramp nightclub just 72 hours after Virginia Roberts’s claims that she danced with him at the same venue when ‘he was grabbing my hips and… pouring with perspiration’.

On this occasion, March 13, 2001, the Duke was accompanied by his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. They joined 150 guests celebrating the 40th birthday of racehorse breeder Guy Sangster, the son of racing tycoon Robert Sangster. Andrew was photographed talking to Guy Sangster’s wife Fiona.

Other luminaries at the event included fashion designer Bruce Oldfield and George Mountbatten, the Marquess of Milford Haven.

According to Tatler magazine, which sent a photographer, ‘In true Tramp fashion, the partying continued till 4am’. Whether Andrew stayed to the end is unknown but asked during his BBC interview last week about his ‘party Prince’ reputation, he replied: ‘Well, I think that’s also a bit of a stretch. I don’t know why I’ve collected that title because I don’t… I never have really partied.’

Although the celebrations were held on March 13, Mr Sangster’s birthday actually fell on Saturday, March 10. Coincidentally, that is the date that Ms Roberts places Andrew at the club. Then aged 17, she alleges that after dancing with him at Tramp, they later had sex at Ghislaine Maxwell’s mews house in Belgravia – the first of three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew. The Prince denies all the allegations.

According to Tatler, dancing was in evidence at the Sangster party ‘although many of the guests’ routines seemed stuck in a time warp’.

When asked during the Newsnight interview whether he remembered dancing at Tramp on March 10, Andrew replied: ‘No, that couldn’t have happened because the date that’s being suggested I was at home with the children.’

Asked how he was so certain of this, the Duke replied: ‘On that particular day that we now understand is the date which is the tenth of March, I was at home, I was with the children and I’d taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at, I suppose, sort of four or five in the afternoon.’

Prince Andrew was sued on August 9, 2021, in a New York City court by Giuffre.

She accused the Duke of York of battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress in the lawsuit filed in federal court.

The lawsuit – filed on her 38th birthday – claimed that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times on the orders of the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

It was filed under a law in New York that relates to child abuse as Giuffre was considered a minor at the time under state law.

It listed Giuffre as the plaintiff and the defendant as ‘Prince Andrew, Duke of York a/k/a Andrew Albert Christian Edward’ as the defendant.

The lawsuit claimed that ‘Prince Andrew intentionally committed battery by sexually assaulting Plaintiff when she was a minor.

‘On multiple occasions Prince Andrew intentionally touched (Roberts) in an offensive and sexual manner without her consent’.

Under the section of the lawsuit that deals with the formal allegation of intentional infliction of emotional distress, the lawsuit was withering about the Duke.

It said: ‘Prince Andrew’s actions, described above, constitute extreme and outrageous conduct that shocks the conscience.

‘Prince Andrew’s sexual abuse of a child who he knew was a sex-trafficking victim, and when he was approximately 40 years old, goes beyond all possible bounds of decency and is intolerable in a civilized community’.

The lawsuit claimed that Andrew was one of the ‘powerful men’ who Epstein loaned Roberts out to for sex.

The document accused the Duke of ‘publicly feigning ignorance about the scope of Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation and sympathy for Epstein’s victims’ then refusing to cooperate with the FBI.

The lawsuit noted that ‘defendant Prince Andrew is a citizen of the United Kingdom, and is currently residing at the Royal Lodge at Windsor Great Park, Berkshire, United Kingdom, where he is domiciled’.

During each of the alleged incidents with Giuffre, Andrew was acting in a ‘personal capacity’ and not in any role for the Royal family or the UK government, the lawsuit noted.

Andrew has always strongly denied any wrongdoing and claimed he has never even met Virginia Roberts, as she was previously known. She was later referred to by her married name of Virginia Giuffre.

Andrew is stripped of hit title, military roles and royal patronages 

The Queen stripped Prince Andrew of title, military roles and royal patronages on January 13, 2022.

Andrew was told he would not be able to use the title of His Royal Highness ‘in any official capacity’ in a stunning downfall as his family abandoned him to fight his sex abuse lawsuit in America as a private citizen.

Andrew, who remained Duke of York, also lost his military titles and royal patronages ‘with the Queen’s approval and agreement’, Buckingham Palace said in a terse statement that brought his 61 years as a senior royal to a shock end.

He is only the fifth royal in recent history to stop officially using the HRH title, with Princess Diana and Sarah, Duchess of York, losing the styling after their divorce, while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle agreed to lose theirs  publicly as part of their ‘Megxit’ deal with the Queen. 

But like Harry and Meghan, Andrew privately retained the title inside Palace walls, meaning he will not have to start bowing to all HRH members of the family. 

It came after a day after a US judge unequivocally rejected the prince’s bid to have his sex abuse case thrown out, leaving him facing the prospect of being cross-examined for seven hours on camera with embarrassing questions on everything from his sex life and ‘private parts’.  

Andrew was urged to settle out of court with his accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre ‘for the sake of his mother’, who was about to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.

In a statement Buckingham Palace said: ‘With The Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen. The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.’ 

A royal source said the issue had been widely discussed with the royal family, making it likely that Charles as well as Andrew was involved in crisis talks over the matter. 

Prince Andrew settles lawsuit for around £12million

The Duke of York agreed to settle with Giuffre on February 15, 2022, for around £12million.

A statement from both parties said: ‘Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an out of court settlement. The parties will file a stipulated dismissal upon Ms Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement (the sum of which is not being disclosed). Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.

‘Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks. 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. He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.’

Calls for Andrew to lose Duke of York title 

Residents in York called on Prince Andrew to be stripped of his Duke title on February 17 after he settled in his US sex assault lawsuit.

The royal faced calls to lose his Duke of York title – which he was given by the Queen on his wedding day in 1986 – amid the civil case brought by Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre.

Dignitaries in the city had previously called for him to be stripped of the title for causing ‘deep hurt and embarrassment’ to residents due to his relationship with the paedophile financier.

However, he never ended up losing his Dukedom. 

Emotional Andrew stands in funeral procession for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

A visibly emotional Prince Andrew wore his morning suit as he followed the Queen’s coffin through the streets of London for her state funeral.

The mourning royal was banned from wearing his military uniform at the ceremony after being stripped of his titles.

The Queen’s coffin left Westminster Hall – where she was been lying-in-state – at 10.44am and arrived at Westminster Abbey at 10.52am. 

His siblings King Charles, Prince Edward and Princess Anne, were all in their military uniforms.

And as the trio raised a crisp salute to their late mother outside Westminster Abbey, a grieving Prince Andrew – positioned between the Princess Royal and Earl of Wessex – slowly bowed his head in tribute. 

He was joined by Prince Harry, who was also not wearing military dress and bowed his head instead of saluting the late monarch.   

The Duke of Sussex was also barred from wearing his military uniform after departing from royal duties. 

The Prince, accompanied by his wife, Meghan Markle looked sombre as he followed behind his grandmother’s coffin, wearing military medals on his chest.

Andrew wears robes to watch Charles III’s coronation 

Prince Andrew appeared downcast as he left Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023, after watching the historic moment his brother was crowned King along with Queen Camilla. 

The Duke of York was dressed in formal Order of the Garter robes – despite having no formal role in the Coronation. 

He played no part in the ceremony or procession behind the Gold State Coach that carried the newly crowned King and Queen to the Palace. 

Andrew and the Duke of Sussex – who sat on the same row in the Abbey – were mere spectators to the occasion given that they are no longer working royals. But while Andrew donned Garter robes, Prince Harry appeared wearing a suit. 

Prince Andrew’s attire reflected an apparent softening of the royal family’s stance towards him – after he was banned by the late Queen from wearing the robes in public for her last Garter Day at Windsor Castle. 

But the Duke of York appeared with a serious, downcast look on his face as he emerged from the Abbey following the service.

Prince Andrew vows to resist leaving the Royal Lodge 

A battle royale appeared to be in the offing after Prince Andrew vowed to resist any attempt to kick him out of Royal Lodge.

Sources close to the beleaguered Duke of York were reported as saying on January 6: ‘Andrew is going nowhere. He has a cast iron lease.’

It came after the Mail revealed that the King intended to evict his brother from the mansion he occupies on the Windsor estate and move him to a more modest property this year.

Andrew has still not left the Royal Lodge, although has to use his own money to stay there.

Prince Andrew leads family into church while King Charles takes break to battle cancer

Prince Andrew smiled on February 27, 2024, as he walked the Royal Family into Windsor Castle alongside Sarah Ferguson for a service of thanksgiving for the late King Constantine of Greece in a move that proves he is ‘back in the fold’.

In an extraordinary turnaround after he was banned from royal duties and stripped of his HRH and military titles by his mother the Queen just two years ago, the Duke of York led The Firm into church to celebrate the life of the last King of Greece.

One royal watcher told MailOnline: ‘Prince Andrew and the Yorks are firmly back in the fold’. 

Andrew was at front and centre of proceedings as King Charles takes a break from royal duties as he battles cancer and Prince William missed the service for ‘personal reasons’. Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh were also absent.

Queen Camilla took the reins but arrived separately meaning that Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II’s second born son, stepped forward and led in the more minor royals including Princess Anne, her daughter Zara and husband Mike Tindall. 

In another incredible turn of events, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson was by his side as they marched into St George’s Chapel this morning followed by their daughter Beatrice.

Cash-strapped Prince Andrew has lunch with billionaire 

Striding out of a glitzy private members’ club, Prince Andrew appeared to have regained some of his old swagger on March 30, 2024.

The Mail’s exclusive pictures revealed how the Duke of York enjoyed lunch with his close friend and ex-business partner, billionaire sports tycoon Johan Eliasch.

Their meeting earlier this month at Harry’s Bar in Mayfair, central London, will fuel speculation that Andrew is determined to end his internal exile and rehabilitate his public image.

It also raises the prospect that cash-strapped Andrew could be contemplating a fresh business venture.

Worth an estimated £3.8 billion, Mr Eliasch was a director of the Prince’s flagship business enterprise – the Dragons’ Den-style initiative Pitch@Palace – but resigned in 2021.

The company was thrown into disarray after Prince Andrew’s Newsnight interview in November 2019 about his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew goes horse-riding around Windsor Castle before release of Netflix film

Prince Andrew appeared in high spirits on April 1, 2024, as he was pictured riding a horse around the Windsor estate.

The Duke of York, 64, was dressed in a khaki jacket, red jumper, black trousers and a helmet for the excursion. 

The royal appeared deep in conversation with a young woman, who was wearing a Windsor Castle-branded coat and helmet.

The father-of-two – who attended the Easter Sunday Service at St George’s Chapel with his siblings and ex-wife – was bracing himself for the release of the new Netflix film Scoop.

The drama – starring Gillian Anderson, Billie Piper and Rufus Sewell – delved into the royal’s car-crash Newsnight interview regarding his relationship to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew is seen frowning the day after Netflix’s film Scoop about the Newsnight interview is released

Prince Andrew was seen frowning as he went for a horse ride on April 6, the day after Netflix’s film Scoop was released.

The beleaguered Duke of York was riding a black horse near Windsor Castle, in Berkshire.

He appeared to pull a frown as a rode beside a young man on a grey horse.

He was later seen in a dark green Range Rover as he smiled and waved at members of the public.

The Netflix film scoop aimed to capture the tensions behind booking the Duke of York for the programme, where Maitlis discussed Virginia Giuffre’s claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times when she was 17 under the orders of Jeffrey Epstein, as well as the tension among the cast during the hour.

Prince Andrew looks carefree as he enjoys canter in Windsor Park on the eve of Prime Video’s series A Very Royal Scandal being released 

Prince Andrew was pictured in Windsor Park on 18 September, enjoying a canter in the sunshine. 

The royal appeared relaxed in the face of Prime Video’s three-part series, A Very Royal Scandal, being released the next day.

It comes after Maitlis, 54, earlier this week revealed what it felt like watching the series for the first time.

Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Maitlis recounted her time doing the interview, candidly saying watching the series back reminded her of the stress of taking on the challenge.

She said: ‘When I watch the drama I get palpitations – it takes me back to when I thought ‘will I remember to ask the right questions? Can I do this?”

She added of her reaction to Prince Andrew’s demeanour: ‘I realised early on he would be candid in his responses. We never assumed guilt and it was an hour of his own words. 

‘It didn’t matter what he said it was always going to make history. We knew we only had one shot at it to hear from the Prince. It was a document of public record if anything.

‘We were building up the picture of what actually happened and it was quite forensic.’

When asked by host Richard Madeley what she thought of the Prince when the interview was done she carefully answered: ‘I thought he had tried very hard to remember his lines…

‘He wanted us to film extra pieces too he wanted to expand on the Pizza Express stuff and things like that. It was a dilemma as a journalist whether to add stuff he wanted at the end.

‘But he was happy with the interview he gave us a tour of the Palace after the interview and he even invited us back.’

She added of the potential harm the interview could have caused: ‘I do worry about the fallout from it.

‘There was fallout for his family. I feel concern for him as I do for anyone that has had a drop in status. But I don’t regret the interview.’

To counter balance her point she added: ‘But nothing has been concluded for Epstein’s victims still.’