Andrew Newsnight interview was not bid to 'ruin his life' says Emily Maitlis
Emily Maitlis has insisted she never set out to destroy Prince Andrew when she interviewed him about his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
But the former BBC journalist acknowledged the televised talk “changed his life more profoundly than he had ever anticipated”.
The presenter said: “He lost a lot from doing that interview. My intention was not to ruin his life. That was not on my radar.”
Maitlis revealed how she was conscious the footage could be used in a potential criminal or civil trial.
She said: “I knew I had to do an interview that would hold up in a court of law, once we had the chance there could not be a misstep,” adding, “It felt like a trial.” The Duke, 63, was accused by Epstein’s “teen sex slave” Virginia Giuffre of being forced to sleep with him when she was 17 on the orders of the US financier.
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The Duke sat down for an interview with BBC Newsnight's Emily Maitlis (BBC)The royal repeatedly and consistently denied her allegations.
Within weeks of its broadcast in November 2019, the Duke was stood back from public life while stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages with the approval of his mother, Queen Elizabeth.
Maitlis said Andrew admitted he had to get a sign-off from the Queen for the interview three months after Epstein’s jail cell suicide in New York while awaiting trial for underage sex offences. She added: “This is a man who thought he was innocent. I could see why he would want to talk.”
Prince Andrew with Jeffrey Epstein (Jae Donnelly)
Epstein died in prison (New York State Sex Offender Regi)She provided her insight in a US documentary, Secrets of Prince Andrew, which airs later this month.
Newsnight former producer Sam McAlister also appears.
About watching the filming of the interview, she said: “I can feel my blood pressure increasing because this is dynamite... It’s just like this tidal wave of bad answers.”
Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts, aged 17 at Ghislaine Maxwell's townhouse in London on March 13 2001 (REX/Shutterstock)Giuffre pursued a civil case against the Prince in New York, which was settled out of court after he paid her a reported £5million in March 2022 while accepting no liability. He vehemently denies the allegations.
- Secrets of Prince Andrew airs on A&E Channel on Monday, August 21.
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