The Queen gave Prince Andrew permission to be quizzed on his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, TV presenter Emily Maitlis claims.
The Duke of York came under scrutiny after his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview in 2019 over allegations that Epstein
victim Virginia Giuffre, then aged 17, was trafficked to have sex with the royal.
In a new two-part Channel 4 documentary, Andrew – The Problem Prince, to air around the time of the Coronation, ex-BBC journalist Ms Maitlis also said the negative implications of the interview “dawned” on the Queen “before they did on him”.
The presenter said Andrew had told her he had to “seek approval from higher up”.
She said: “Of course, he’s talking about the Queen. You’re asking your mum if it’s a good idea.”
The Duke later stepped down from public life and last year, he settled out of court for £12million with Ms Giuffre in her US civil
sex claim. He continues to deny any wrongdoing.
Her lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, said the Newsnight interview gave her client the “roadmap to tear him apart” in the civil claim.
Ex-Newsnight producer Sam McAlister claimed a “euphoric” Andrew thought the interview “had gone really well”.
