A documentary putting the spotlight on disgraced Prince Andrew's notorious BBC interview surrounding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein will air in tandem with King Charles's coronation.
It comes as Channel 4 announced a schedule shake-up during the King's historical ceremony next month on May 6, with the platform working to “provide an escape from the pomp and ceremony” for its viewers across the nation.
As part of their schedule - final details are still yet to be announced - they have confirmed a documentary focusing on the Duke of York’s interview on Newsnight.
During the two-part series, former BBC journalist Emily Maitlis will speak in detail about how she came to grill Andrew over his relationship with the late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reports Hull Live.
Following a November 2019 broadcast and the "car crash" fury over Andrew’s friendship with Epstein, the duke stepped down from public life after denying having sex with a then 17-year-old girl Virginia Giuffre.
In February last year, it was announced that his military titles and royal patronages would be returned to the late Queen Elizabeth and that he would stop using his royal titles in an official capacity.
The following month, he paid a financial settlement to Ms Giuffre, formally ending a sex assault civil case in the US. The agreement was not an admission of guilt and Prince Andrew has always strenuously denied the allegations held against him.
In the bombshell interview with host Emily Maitlis, the prince also discussed his friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, who was slammed behind bars for 20 years for helping Epstein abuse young girls.
Andrew – The Problem Prince, in 60-minute episodes, will also feature archive footage, an interview with former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister and access to palace insiders, Channel 4 confirmed.
The programme is being executively produced by Maitlis along with James Goldston, Sheldon Lazarus and Nina Davies. The interview is also being adapted by Netflix with Sex Education star Gillian Anderson playing Maitlis and The Man In The High Castle actor Rufus Sewell as Andrew.
During the original airing around four years ago, the duke denied to Newsnight that he had sex with Virginia Giuffre and said he had no recollection of ever meeting her and had spent the day in question at Pizza Express in Woking for a party with one of his daughters.
Queen Elizabeth sadly died aged 96 last September, and a lot of programming across broadcasters was changed as a result.
Last month, The Windsors Coronation Special was announced which will see Harry Enfield as the king invite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to his special day as the comedy show returns after three years with a 60-minute one-off programme.
Channel 4’s chief content officer, Ian Katz, said: “Channel 4 exists to provide viewers with an alternative, so as the nation is engulfed by pomp, circumstance and forelock-tugging, we’ll be offering a rather less reverential slate of programmes including Frankie Boyle’s case against the monarchy and the Windsors’ scabrous satirical take on the coronation.”
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