An Unlikely Accomplice: Princess Beatrice Was an 'Unexpected Guest' in Planning Prince Andrew's 'Car Crash Interview'
Princess Beatrice was reportedly involved in the planning of Prince Andrew's notorious 'Newsnight' interview in November 2019.
In November 2019, Prince Andrew sat down with journalist Emily Maitlis for BBC's Newsnight in what became the interview that saw him banished from frontline royal duties. Little did the world realize that one of the architects behind this "trainwreck exchange" was close to the disgraced Duke.
"Rammed into a tiny room in Buckingham Palace, the three Newsnighters (me, Emily and Deputy Editor Stewart) faced Andrew, Amanda and a very unexpected guest — his elder daughter, Princess Beatrice," author Sam McAlister revealed.
"She was dressed in navy blue, asked sensible questions about the possible logistics, and it was clear, she was close to her father and concerned for his welfare," she added. The discussion was frank, firm, sometimes funny."
McAlister writes about the infamous interview in her new book, Scoops: Behind the Scenes, which has been turned into a Netflix movie named Scoops.
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.
In his late 2023 book, Endgame, author Omid Scobie revealed that the then-Duke of Cambridge personally visited Queen 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."
Scobie claims that the meeting between The Queen and the Duke of Cambridge occurred sometime after the death of Prince Philip on April 9, 2021. Since the late Duke of Edinburgh typically led the way when it came to uncomfortable discussions or decisions, William was determined to address the "Andrew problem," as he felt it posed a direct threat to his future Crown.
Royal sources told Scobie that Her Majesty and her grandson spoke for over an hour, with the late monarch agreeing that the stripping of Andrew's military honors and "HRH" style was appropriate. The co-author of Finding Freedom revealed that it was a "genuinely sad" decision for the Firm, and yet another "gut punch" after the recent demise of the sovereign's consort.
Although William allegedly had to have a tough conversation with Britain's longest-reigning monarch, Scobie also offered insights into how the heir to the throne models his approach to monarchy on his grandmother — not his father.
As for Princess Beatrice, she and her sister, Princess Eugenie, have lived their lives unaffected since their father's Jeffrey Epstein-tied scandals first appeared.
"How could an interview that aimed to provide answers for vulnerable young women not end up hurting other vulnerable young women – his daughters – along the way?" Maitlis once wrote before adding: "These were things I struggled with in the aftermath that still cost me a fair amount of thought today."
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