Prince Andrew's reduced life now - crumbling home, title shame and strange hobby (original) (raw)

Yet another drama series, this one called A Very Royal Scandal, tells the story of Prince Andrew's infamous Newsnight interview - and it has brought the car crash chat back into the limelight and the outcast royal whose life was dramatically changed after the show

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Prince Andrew appears on Newsnight in 2019

Almost five years ago, Prince Andrew sat down to be grilled by Emily Maitlis in his infamous BBC Newsnight interview - and it his life changed forever.

And now the car crash chat is the subject of yet another drama series, meaning the disgraced Duke of York will see the humiliating episode be brought back to the fore once again. The new show, A Very Royal Scandal, tells the story of Maitlis' journey towards the interview with Andrew, with Luther and Mrs Wilson star Ruth Wilson playing the journalist and Michael Sheen as the duke. It comes hot on the heels of another drama, Scoop, which also retold the story behind the interview.

When the interview aired back in November 2019, it sent shockwaves around the world with Andrew declining to say he regretted his association with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, memorably recalling a visit to Pizza Express and claiming he was medically unable to sweat. In the days immediately after the interview was aired, the Duke's life began to unravel and now it looks very different to the one he once enjoyed…

Sidelined from royal life

Before the Newsnight interview, Andrew had a full diary of royal duties. In the year before the disastrous chat, he carried out a total of 394 engagements - more than his nephew Prince William.

Prince Andrew at the royals' Easter Sunday church service in Windsor (

Image:

AFP via Getty Images)

Andrew's main tasks included promoting British businesses abroad as well receiving foreign dignitaries visiting the UK on behalf of the late Queen. He also helped to set up and run the Dragon's Den style initiative Pitch@Palace, which saw start up business owners connected with potential investors during special events at Buckingham Palace, which proved to be highly successful.

But just days after the interview, Andrew sensationally quit public life "for the foreseeable future". In a statement, approved by the late Queen, he said it had "become clear" to him that his "former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family's work." He expressed sympathy for the victims of the convicted sex offender and disgraced financier, saying he "hoped they could rebuild their lives."

He said: "I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein. His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required."

Andrew is grilled by Emily Maitlis during his Newsnight interview in 2019 (

Image:

PA)

The move meant he missed out on an honorary Navy promotion and he was not awarded the rank of Admiral on his 60th birthday as expected several months later. Andrew now only makes fleeting appearances at royal events that are deemed family occasions. These have included the late Queen's funeral, the King's Coronation and a memorial for the former King Constantine of Greece earlier this year. However eyebrows were raised when he played a prominent role at a memorial service for Prince Philip, which saw him escort his mother into Westminster Abbey.

Most recently he joined a small group of royals at St George's Chapel in Windsor for Easter Sunday church service. He's been forced to skip other royal milestones, including Trooping the Colour, Remembrance Sunday and Commonwealth Day, with a case of Covid ruled him out of taking part in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.

Prince Andrew did not appear in the official photos of daughter Princess Beatrice's wedding (

Image:

PA)

He was also noticeably absent from the official photos from his oldest daughter Princess Beatrice's lockdown wedding. Beatrice wed husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a low-key ceremony in Windsor under Covid restrictions.

Fewer than 20 guests attended – a far cry from the 2018 wedding of her sister, Princess Eugenie, to Jack Brooksbank in 2018, which was broadcast on TV. When it came to the official wedding photos released to the public, the father of the bride didn't appear in any of them, with the late Queen and Prince Philip the only royals shown with the beaming bride and her new husband. The decision to release snaps without him was thought to have been taken by the family alongside advice from courtiers.

Civil lawsuit

But things appeared to go from bad to worse for Andrew, as in early 2021, Virginia Giuffre began the process of suing Andrew in a civil sexual assault case in New York. She alleged she was told by Epstein and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell to have sex with the Prince at Epstein's mansion in New York and at other locations when she was 17. The prince has always denied the allegations and said he has "no recollection" of ever meeting her.

Andrew and former wife Fergie at the memorial service for King Constantine of Greece (

Image:

POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

As a court case loomed, in early 2022, the late Queen summoned her second son to a crunch meeting, where the former monarch broke the news he would no longer be known as His Royal Highness "in any official capacity". Many of his military titles and patronage associations were removed in another blow. Eventually, Andrew and his accuser reached an out-of-court settlement, thought to be worth £12million. The settlement contained no admission of liability, guilt or wrongdoing on Prince Andrew's part.

Row over crumbling home

He still lives in his 30-room Windsor home Royal Lodge, which he shares with his former wife Sarah Ferguson. The pair have remained close despite their divorce almost 30 years ago, with Fergie even joining Andrew at church this Easter Sunday.

As part of the King's plans to scale down the monarchy, Andrew had been offered a move from his mansion to the smaller Frogmore Cottage, which had been recently renovated by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. But he may soon be forced to leave the property with Charles reportedly telling a security team they are no longer needed at the lodge once their contract ends in the autumn. A Palace insider weighed in on the issue saying that "it isn't a secret that the King wants him out" after reports that the Duke of York has become a "bit of a recluse".

Andrew attended the King's Coronation last May (

Image:

UK Press via Getty Images)

The insider told The Sun: "Everyone is speculating this means the Duke will have to leave the Royal Lodge because what other reason could there be to take his security away? They are all working the final weeks of their contract till the end of October. It's not thought anyone is being lined up to replace them."

Andrew faces mounting costs in his efforts to try and stay put at Royal Lodge, and he has also been forced to meet the upkeep costs of the 19th-century Grade II listed house, including a recent bill of £200,000 for roof repairs. He is understood to have told the King that he intends to 'see out' the 55 years left on a lease he signed at the £30million mansion two decades ago.

These days, he is often spotted on horse rides close to his home and playing golf as he whiles away his days. But one more recent hobby - watching live plane traffic from around the world on a projector screen - is a little more unusual. But even though a return to public duties may be off the cards, one prominent royal author believes King Charles will not abandon his brother.

Robert Hardman, the author of Charles III, a biography of the monarch, suggests the Firm are keen to keep Andrew on the inside, saying one royal insider claimed: "Andrew could be far more damaging outside the loop." While another said: "The King will not just cast his brother adrift. He is very fond of his nieces [Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie]. And at least [Andrew] hasn't been disloyal. But any return to public life is out of the question. His legal problems are not resolved, the public don't want him and many people still remember his rudeness last time round."