Prince Andrew sat down for a controversial interview with Emily Maitlis in 2019 to try and defend himself against the sexual abuse allegations that he was facing. But instead of getting more people on his side, the Duke of York was criticized by royal fans and royal experts who were convinced that he wasn’t being completely truthful with his accounts.
Princess Beatrice Shocked The BBC Staffers When She Joined Prince Andrew During His 2019 Interview
Three years later, Prince Andrew’s interview is still making headlines after Newsnight producer Sam McAlister revealed that the dad of two was accompanied by his eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, at the time.
“Yeah, that [Beatrice being in attendance] was a real curveball, because I'd turned up to the negotiation slightly brassy, a little bit ballsy, as I'm sure you've noticed about me already, a little bit ooh, a little bit aah, albeit with intellect and the legal element. But then Prince Andrew said 'oh, by the way, I've brought someone with me.' I'm thinking it's got to be a lawyer, please God for your sake, let it be a lawyer, and then round the corner, Princess Beatrice is here,” McAlister said earlier this month (via Cosmopolitan).
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Princess Beatrice Dubbed Rainmaker By Newsnight Producer
While speaking with Times Radio, McAlister shared more information during his meeting with Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice ahead of the interview. He said that the latter did not inform them that she was joining. But she ended up acting as the rainmaker.
“I think she was the rainmaker. You can imagine in that room, it's a very small room. I was closer to Prince Andrew than I am to you. Emily [Maitlis] was between the two of us. Princess Beatrice was here in the line of vision opposite me, Amanda Thirsk here, and Stuart, right at the other end of the table,” McAlister demonstrated (via Express).
The producer added that Princess Beatrice seemed like the rainmaker because Queen Elizabeth – in a theoretical sense – would’ve asked her how things turned out.
“[And] I really felt that she [Beatrice] was the rainmaker because at the end of that interview, in a theoretical conversation with the Queen, the Queen goes, "so, what do you think, darling. [And] Andrew will go, Emily Maitlis. She's incredible. Sam McAlister, she's great. Stuart was fab. We have to do this. Then she will turn to the sensible one, Princess Beatrice. To me, crucially, her answer would be the difference between yes and no,” he said.
McAlister also revealed that Princess Beatrice asked a slew of questions during their meeting. And he was forced to answer them because it seemed as though she was the one who would decide if Prince Andrew’s interview would push through or not.
“So, she asked very sensible questions, that everybody else was probably, you know, a little bit circumspect about answering because the focus was, understandably, s on Prince Andrew, but I answered them all because I felt that her element, in the negotiation, was absolutely crucial,” he said.
Prince Andrew’s Interview Dubbed A PR Nightmare And A National Joke
Prince Andrew’s interview pushed through. But sources said that it would’ve been better if it didn’t happen. In fact, CNN dubbed the interview as a “PR nightmare and a national joke.” After all, the Duke of York didn’t seem to sympathize with the victims. And all he was focused on was denying his accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s accounts.
“If you've got this far, then yes -- this really is a litany of excuses made by a senior member of the British Royal Family on an authorized interview, reportedly given with the queen’s permission, with the BBC. The interview is being uniformly reported as a PR disaster. For British viewers, the incident has already become a national joke,” the publication said.
Check back for more stories and updates about Princess Beatrice and Prince Andrew here at EpicStream!
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