What Emily Maitlis really thought of Prince Andrew’s answers from the infamous Newsnight interview
The now infamous interview aired in late 2019 on the BBCIn 2019, BBC Newsnight aired journalist Emily Maitlis’ Prince Andrew interview and it made history.
While he hoped it may have saved his reputation, Emily has gone on to call it a “car crash”. She also said she believes he had “tried very hard to remember his lines”.
In the bombshell interview, Prince Andrew denied the sexual assault allegations that were made against him. He was accused by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was forced to sleep with Andrew when she was 17 after being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein.
The prince also admitted to staying at late convicted sex offender Epstein’s mansion for a few days in 2010. But he explained he went there to end their friendship.
The interview was one of the main catalysts for Andrew’s loss of respect from the public. It was criticised by experts and high-profile figures. After it aired, Andrew, 65, stepped down from his duties.
Most recently, in October 2025, Andrew announced he would no longer use his Duke of York title amid the allegations against him.
But as for Emily Maitlis, she has spoken about the Prince Andrew interview a few times. So here is everything she has said about it.
2019: Initial reaction to Prince Andrew and Emily Maitlis interview
Speaking with The Guardian in 2019, weeks after the interview aired, Emily shared what it was like to sit face to face with Prince Andrew.
She explained: “I expected the interview to be pulled at every stage. It had been months in the making and got a sign-off just 48 hours earlier. Even then it was pushed back by a couple of hours.”
Emily admitted that when Andrew spoke about his relationship with Epstein, she began to “imagine I had got everything wrong and misunderstood the story entirely”.
The journalist commented that it took her “three weeks” after recording with him to allow herself to acknowledge “the power” it had to “change the lives of Epstein’s victims”.
September 2024: Emily admits she expected Andrew to ‘push back’ over interview
The bombshell interview has since been turned into a three-part drama series, A Very Royal Scandal, where she explored the depth and understanding of the interview.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain in September 2024, Emily admitted it was “very early on” in the interview that she realised it could be something huge.
I thought that he had tried very hard to remember his lines.
She said: “I was expecting him to push back. But he didn’t. And we wanted to hear him speak.”
As for the responsibility she felt over doing the interview, Emily explained: “We knew we only had one shot at this. My editor told me it had to be document of public record. It’s got to be useable if it goes to court or trial.”
She revealed that Prince Andrew actually asked to film “extra bits” of the interview once it concluded and the team felt they couldn’t “ignore his wishes”.
Emily admitted after the interview, she was told that King Charles “was not unhappy with the interview”. She explained she spent “years” thinking about what that meant.
When asked what she thought of Andrew had ‘lied’ to her after the interview ended, Emily said: “I thought that he had tried very hard to remember his lines.”
Meanwhile, also in September 2024, Emily spoke to the BBC and admitted that after the interview aired, “everything changed” for the royal.
She said: “He lost the respect of the nation. And that became more difficult for him to find a place in the royal family. But on the other side, we don’t know if Epstein’s victims gained anything from that. We don’t know if their lives changed.”
September 2024: Emily admits a ‘sense of unfinished business’
Speaking to James O’Brien on LBC the same month, Emily said that the “moment” Prince Andrew started speaking, she panicked. But it was down to the fear he “would turn it into a pitch for the palace”.
While Emily doesn’t “feel sorry” about the interview, she explained she feels “concerned” and “uncomfortable” at moments.
One of the reasons for this is because there “was no closure or trial” despite a huge forensic interview. Therefore, she felt there’s definitely “a sense of unfinished business”.
Emily Maitlis felt ‘scared’ after Andrew stepped down from duties
Elsewhere in an exclusive interview with People, Emily admitted when Prince Andrew stepped down from royal duties she felt “scared”.
She revealed: “I think for a moment I was quite scared. On one hand you have this extraordinary power as a journalist. You can literally rewrite the chapters of a prince’s life in that interview.
“But you put something in motion with an interview like that which you can not control. I felt the real power of responsibility. What happened if he went over the edge? What happened if he was thrown out by his family? I didn’t know. I felt that things had started turning on their own and it was not me anymore. I couldn’t touch that. It was happening of its own accord.”
She admitted she began to feel “conscious” of the other members of his family – including his daughters, Princess Eugenie and Beatrice.
Speaking about her thoughts of Andrew’s role now, Emily is relieved it’s not up to her.
She added: “I don’t get to decree whether he is guilty or innocent. I don’t get to decree whether he should be allowed to work or should he be allowed to have Christmas at Sandringham. Or what uniform he wears. Thank God that’s not my job.”
Read more: King Charles’ ‘threat’ to brother Prince Andrew before royal title announcement
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