Prince Andrew has been hit with a fresh blow following the release of a trailer for an upcoming Amazon series based on the Duke of York’s infamous 2019 interview surrounding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
A Very Royal Scandal, which stars Michael Sheen as the Duke, will be dropping on the streaming giant on September 19.
It will serialise the 64-year-old’s infamous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, who will be played by Ruth Wilson, over allegations regarding his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre. Maitlis is also producing the series.
The three-part series follows both Andrew and Maitlis in the leadup to the interview, the sit-down itself, and the fallout which changed both of their lives.
The show “follows the action of Maitlis and Prince Andrew in the leadup to the interview, the groundbreaking event itself and the many questions left in its wake that would change their lives forever,” according to the synopsis.
The two-and-a-half-minute trailer shows both the journalist and the royal preparing for the sit-down. “Get me and him in a room together, and then I can do my thing,” the character of Maitlis says in the snippet.
Before the interview, the Duke of York proclaims: “I’m going to blow this out of the water.”
Referring to the journalist, he adds in a voiceover: “I’ve been warned about you. You have a bit of a reputation.”
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Maitlis then quips: “Well, for you, I’ll try and behave.”
Following the aftermath of the interview, which Andrew apparently called off before reconsidering, Maitlis says: “I was only ever hoping to ask the right questions.”
In the first episode, Prince Andrew tries to declare his innocence as he finds himself amid an international scandal involving Epstein.
The first episode sees Prince Andrew attempt to declare his innocence as he finds himself at the centre of an international scandal while the Newsnight presenter tries to secure an interview with him.
In the following instalment, the interview, filled with unexpected twists and turns, takes place.
Finally, in the third episode, the disgraced Duke is left to navigate the fallout, whilst Maitlis reflects on her reputation and the future of her career.
It comes after rival streaming colossus Netflix released Scoop, which is based on the same scandal, back in April.
Speaking of the rivalry between the Netflix and Amazon projects, Maitlis told Deadline: “I think that probably is overplayed, overstated. This [the Amazon series] will be a very different beast. I’m sure there’s room for both.”
She said that she left Netflix “to do their own thing because I think the last thing they want is me peeking around the edges”.
In the now infamous November 2019 interview with the former BBC presenter, Andrew vigorously denied the allegations that he sexually assaulted Giuffre.
Giuffre brought a civil case against Andrew for sexual assault, and the 64-year-old later reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre. The settlement was not an admission of guilt and Andrew accepted no liability.
The new series is part of an anthology of limited seasons which include 2018’s A Very English Scandal starring Hugh Grant and 2021’s A Very British Scandal, about the infamous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argylle, played by Paul Bettany and Claire Foy.
