Prince Andrew may have done Newsnight interview to help Princess Beatrice says Emily Maitlis

The Duke of York stepped back from public life in 2019 following his disastrous TV interview with BBC Newsnight, which focused on his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

And now in a new Channel 4 documentary, Andrew: The Problem Prince, presenter Emily Maitlis, says she thinks Prince Andrew may have agree to take part in the interview to help his eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice.

At the time, the palace had just announced Beatrice's engagement to property developer, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

Sharing her thoughts, Ms Maitlis told the documentary: "It’s the first time the thought crossed my mind that maybe he was doing it for her [Beatrice].

"Your life has been hellish. You’ve had to read these headlines. You’re trying to get married. I’m going to do this to make it better for you. I don’t know if that’s true, but it crossed my mind."

READ: Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie enjoy lunch date with friends James Blunt and Piers Morgan

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Andrew came under intense scrutiny following the interview over allegations that Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre was trafficked to have sex with the royal when she was 17.

In the two-part documentary, former BBC journalist Ms Maitlis said the negative implications of the interview "dawned" on the late Queen "before they dawned on him". 

MORE: King Charles documentary features never-before-seen footage: watch exclusive clip about his childhood

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Former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister also revealed in the documentary that the Duke had taken Princess Beatrice, with him to the final negotiations with the BBC over what should be included in the interview.

Last year, Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre reportedly worth up to 12 million US dollars (£9.6 million) following her civil sex claim against him in the US.

The Duke has vehemently denied the allegations.

Ahead of the US lawsuit, the Queen stripped Andrew of his honorary military roles and he stopped using the style 'His Royal Highness' in any official capacity.

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