New Prince Andrew drama on train wreck interview shows he is as clueless (original) (raw)
A Very Royal Scandal, about Prince Andrew's disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019, portrays the disgraced heir as utterly devoid of introspection and the master of his own demise, writes Mirror Royal Editor Russell Myers
Ruth Wilson and Michael Sheen as Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew in A Very Royal Scandal
Nearly five years on from that infamous interview, you may be forgiven for thinking we have heard it all on Prince Andrew’s disastrous decision to sit down with the BBC.
But whether it is royal insiders giving the lowdown on what went on behind the scenes, or versions of events from those on the other side of the fence - as we have seen with a Netflix film and now this mini series from Amazon - the details are just too good to look away.
It may come as no surprise, apart from the Duke of York’s hopelessly devoted private secretary Amanda Thirsk, whose portrayal in this latest installment is a fitting tribute to her own misgivings in facilitating the Newsnight interview, that Prince Andrew is characterised as clueless as he is ludicrous.
A man content to scream about his brother being a “mummy’s boy” to one so self-obsessed with his own image, noting various and frequent references to his self-confessed war heroics, it comes as no surprise when he utters the immortal line when his paedophile friend is found dead in a jail cell: “Is this good or bad for me?”
Andrew with Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell (right) (
Image:
US District Court - Southern Dis)
We know how the story ends, but in A Very Royal Scandal, Andrew is painted an individual so utterly devoid of introspection he is very clearly the master of his own demise.
His arrogance in first befriending and continuing to associate with Jeffrey Epstein, after he was convicted of sex offences is clear, but the depiction of a man so consumed with his privilege it more apparent than ever.
Prince Andrew is now living as 'a virtual recluse' (
Image:
POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
In the masterful interview scenes between Michael Sheen as Andrew and Ruth Wilson, albeit with a slightly districting impression of the former BBC interviewer Emily Maitlis, the prince is shown not only to be lacking the integrity to face up to his situation, but remains totally defiant to the end that he could weasel his way out of this and seemingly any situation.
When asked this week if she believed Andrew had lied to her, Maitlis said she felt he had tried very hard to remember his lines, as he continually sought to portray himself as the victim.
Unfortunately for the Duke he crossed the line of disgracing himself, ensuring his banishment from the royal family.