MX23RW : Thursday, November 21 23:42:09| >> :600:136233287:136233287:

Emily Maitlis "incredibly nervous" interviewing Prince Andrew

Emily Maitlis opens up on the experience of her car-crash interview with Prince Andrew for Newsnight.

Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis has looked back on her infamous interview with Prince Andrew last year, admitting that she was "incredibly nervous" at the prospect of interviewing the Queen's son.

In a special edition of the programme, Maitlis sat down for a no-holds-barred chat with the senior Royal to talk about his relationship with the paedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and accusations that he had had sexual relations with a girl trafficked by the disgraced financier.

The 45-minute programme was widely regarded as a car crash and led to Andrew stepping back from the majority of his duties as a member of the Royal Family.

Maitlis, meanwhile, was lauded for her effective questioning of the prince in an interview that was arranged clandestinely with programme editor Esme Wren.

"I was incredibly nervous," she told the Radio Times. "How could I not be? I remember Esme saying, 'This interview has to be a document that people can return to in the future. It might be the only chance we get to set the record straight.'

"So we kept it very close to our chests until it was done. The fear was that the more people who knew, the more likely it was that something would go wrong.

"I think their shock was not at the interview itself, but the reaction it caused in the days and weeks afterwards. Now, eight months on, it may feel like 'a moment of television', but we should never forgot the people at the centre of this whole story - Epstein's accusers and what they'd been through and were, in some cases, still fighting.

"It was never meant to be a badge of honour - it was meant to be a chance to get to the heart of a story that had confused many people for so long."

Relive the interview in full below:

ID:407377: cacheID:407377:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3057:

Follow us on X/Twitter and like us on Facebook for the latest entertainment news alerts.

Media Mole Black Friday Offer: Get Sky Entertainment, Sky Stream & Netflix for just £19 a month + £0 upfront fee for 24 months!
Prices may change during this period. Ends December 3, 2024

Restore Data
Share this article now:
Olivia Colman stars as Queen Elizabeth II in season three of The Crown
Read Next:
Netflix reinstates plan for sixth season of The Crown
>
rhs 2.0
New TV Picks header

Thursday, November 21


RuPaul's Drag Race UK: iPlayer, from 8pm and BBC Three, 9pm
For the semi-finals, the queens must roast their former competitors in front of extra-special guest judge Siobhan McSweeney

Cruel Intentions: Prime Video, from 8am
TV series following two rich step-siblings determined to maintain their elite status at all costs

The Colosseum: The Arena of Death with Dan Snow: Channel 5, 9pm
As Gladiator II hits cinemas, a look back at the real history that inspired the movie

EastEnders: iPlayer, from 6am and BBC One, 7.30pm
George is stunned when Elaine informs him that she wants a prenup before they get married