Royal interviewer Emily Maitlis has opened up about Prince Andrew’s infamous car crash interview and its aftermath.
The former BBC presenter described the moment the late Queen Elizabeth summoned her son after reading the interview transcript in which Andrew ineptly tried to distance himself from paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew, who reportedly thought the interview had gone well, did not learn the truth until the following morning, former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister claimed in a new documentary.
The prince, who was "euphoric" following the interview, as he felt it had "gone really well" - reportedly received a tap on the shoulder from his security guard to deliver the bad news.
Speaking in a new Channel 4 documentary, she said: "It was only on the Saturday when the Queen had reportedly read the whole transcript that he had received a tap on the shoulder by his security detail.
"And they had said, 'I think, sir, you might have to come with us.' It was after the Queen had seen what the interview contained that I think it dawned on her, before it dawned on him."
Following the infamous interview, Andrew was eventually stripped of his royal patronages and military ties. He has always denied any wrongdoing.
Andrew’s legal team reached an out of court settlement in Febuary 2022 which reportedly saw £12 million paid to Virginia Giuffre, who claimed he raped her when she was 17. The Duke has always vehemently denied the allegations.
In the new interview, Emily revealed she was completely "shocked" by the answers he gave, describing it as "a tidal wave of bad answers" and she said she needed to process what had just happened.
"This is how I know that Prince Andrew is happy with the interview because he stayed chatting. He seemed very jolly. A whole load of people came in and I said, 'What's going on?'" she shared in the interview.
"They said, 'OK, Thursday evenings we have the cinema night at the palace. You can stay if you want.' And at that point, I just thought, 'I've got to get away from here. I needed the space to work out what just happened.'"
In the interview, Andrew declined to say he regretted the friendship with Epstein, with his memorable answers including details of his visit to Pizza Express with daughter Princess Beatrice and saying he was medically unable to sweat.
