A Real Royal 'Sicko': Prince Andrew's Disturbing Question for Emily Maitlis Before Infamous 'Newsnight' Interview Revealed

Prince Andrew's "disastrous" November 2019 Newsnight interview, with journalist Emily Maitlis is explored in a new three-part Amazon Prime Video miniseries, A Very Royal Scandal.

As depicted in the show, His Royal Highness' alleged initial question to the interviewer before the sit-down has him being branded as a real "sicko" thanks to its "twisted" and "disturbing" tone. The program stars Welsh actor Michael Sheen in the role of the disgraced Duke, who meets with the BBC before the sit-down along with his eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice.

During the pre-interview discussion, the Duke leans in close and asks, "Have any of you ever been victims of abuse?"

Maitlis freezes for a moment before replying, "No."

"Nothing in your life?" HRH replies.

"Nothing that bears comparison," the interviewer responded in reference to the circulating claims that Andrew sexually assaulted Virginia Roberts in 2001 when she was 17.

Andrew's private secretary Amanda Thirsk then inquired, "So your judgment wouldn't be colored by anything at all?"

"Not at all," Maitlis answered.

The reporter was a prior victim of stalking by a man named Edward Vines, whom she met at college in the 1990s. He covertly pursued the journalist for 27 years before being imprisoned for eight years. It is not made clear if the Duke knew about the stalking incident before the interview.

As for the interview itself, Maitlis told an outlet, "My heart started beating really fast. I think for a moment I was quite scared."

The interview led Queen Elizabeth II to banish her son from public view, and it was later revealed that she worked with Prince William on crafting a response to the controversy. The scandal erupted only a few short months before the pandemic lockdowns started in early 2020, and would become a major news story along with "Megxit."

In his late 2023 book, Endgame, author Omid Scobie revealed that the then-Duke of Cambridge personally visited Elizabeth II in 2021 to discuss the Duke of York. The future king did this as he thought she may go too "soft" on her favorite son, who William felt "can still inflict considerable damage to the monarchy."

Maitlis asked the Duke of York about his relationship to deceased, convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and today, she reflected on how odd she found his reply to be.

She added, "On the one hand, you have this extraordinary power as a journalist. You can literally rewrite the chapters of a royal prince’s life in that interview. You put something in motion with an interview like that, which you cannot control, and I guess I felt the real power of responsibility."

The Sun reported on A Very Royal Scandal.