The Interview That Destroyed Prince Andrew's Image

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Convicted sex trafficker and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein has been in the news a lot over the years, despite being found dead in his prison cell in 2019. Many of his alleged friends (like President Trump) have been caught in the crossfire, including the Duke of York, Andrew Windsor. Brother to King Charles and son of Queen Elizabeth II, Andrew has had a shady side that's brought him scrutiny for all sorts of things over the decades, from his playboy lifestyle and his sketchy financial dealings to his reportedly rude and narcissistic behavior. Perhaps more than anything, though, Andrew has been plagued by his associations with Epstein, something which blew up in the mainstream shortly after Epstein's death in 2019 with one of the most infamous interviews in British history.

While Andrew's life as a disgraced royal may be pathetic today, he still had some shreds of decency before being interviewed by the BBC's Emily Maitlis in November 2019 for the program "Newsnight." In terms of Andrew's life, there are only two modern eras — pre-"Newsnight" and post-"Newsnight." That's because Andrew dug himself into such a deep, uncomfortable hole during the interview that practically nobody would ever see him the same way again. "[He] lost the respect of the nation," Maitlis told the BBC of Andrew's disastrous interview performance. It was arguably the first major domino in Andrew's epic downfall, one that continues to this day.

Andrew Windsor's reputation was shady long before his career-ending "Newsnight" interview in November 2019. That's thanks to everything from close ties with gun smugglers and warlords to extremely sketchy financial dealings. Additionally, his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein had been established for years, even after the New York "financier" was exposed as a criminal. For instance, in May 2006, the Palm Beach Police created warrants for Epstein's arrest; the next month, he attended the 18th birthday party of Andrew's daughter, Beatrice.

Epstein was released from prison for soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution in July 2010. That December, News of the World photographed Andrew in New York City with Epstein during an unofficial four-day trip, during which time he stayed at Epstein's house. Then, in March 2011, the Daily Mail revealed that Andrew's wife at the time, Sarah Ferguson, had once received £15,000 from Epstein to help pay off her £5 million in personal debts. In July 2011, Andrew was forced to step down as the U.K.'s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.

On December 30, 2014, Andrew was named in court filings against Epstein, which included the accusation from Virginia Giuffre (née Roberts) that she was paid $15,000 by Epstein to sleep with the prince when she was 17. Buckingham Palace made the extraordinary decision to comment twice on the matter, including one statement on January 4, 2015, obtained by Reuters, reading, "It is emphatically denied that HRH The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts." Unfortunately for them, a photograph of Andrew with his arm around Virginia's waist was published in June 2015.

The media firestorm over Andrew Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein mellowed out somewhat after 2015; Andrew was even appointed Colonel of the Grenadier Guards in 2017. Nonetheless, questions remained. "Newsnight" guest booker Sam McAlister had received an email from a PR company offering an interview with Andrew about his charity work. She declined it, thinking it would be a puff piece, but it began a conversation about a bigger interview. She wouldn't agree to the sole stipulation from palace officials, though, which was that Epstein was off the table.

However, things changed when Epstein was found dead in his prison cell on August 10, 2019. This immediately renewed interest in the Epstein case and, as a result, Andrew's association with him. As speculation became more fervent, Andrew decided to do the "Newsnight" interview and discuss his associations with Epstein. In his mind, this was his chance to "clear his name."

McAlister described her assumption of Andrew's thought process to Town & Country Magazine. "Prince Andrew is in a really invidious position because effectively what he's been told all his life is that he's amazing, he's brilliant," explained McAlister. "So he has an extraordinary capacity for misunderstanding his own capabilities. I call it 'royal delusion,' but it's something you see in major companies with CEOs, with bosses."

Andrew attempted to explain his own thought process during the interview itself (via BBC), in his own bizarre, narcissistic way: "Choosing to, as it were, get out there and talk about these things, it's almost ... it's almost a mental health issue to some extent for me, in the sense that it's been nagging at my mind for a great many years."

"Newsnight" host Emily Maitlis conducted the BBC interview with Andrew Windsor on November 16, 2019. Andrew was grilled about his association with Epstein for nearly 50 minutes, making some incredibly odd statements (and downright lies, as Maitlis later revealed) in the process. First, Andrew provided a ridiculous explanation for his visit with Epstein in December 2010, which the prince claimed was their last communication.

"I went there with the sole purpose of saying to him that, because he had been convicted, it was inappropriate for us to be seen together," explained Andrew. "I took the judgement call that, because this was serious and I felt that doing it over the telephone was the chicken's way of doing it, I had to go and see him and talk to him." With a legitimately twisted sense of self-aggrandizement, Andrew added, "I had to show leadership and I had to go and see him, and I had to tell him, 'That's it.'"

Maitlis then asked why, if that was Andrew's intention for the trip, the prince chose to stay at Epstein's house for four days. "It was a convenient place to stay," said Andrew. "At the end of the day, with a benefit of all the hindsight that one can have, it was definitely the wrong thing to do. But at the time I felt it was the honourable and right thing to do, and I admit fully that my judgement was probably coloured by my tendency to be too honourable but that's just the way it is."

Andrew Windsor's "Newsnight" interview had so many awkward moments and incredible claims that it was like a treasure trove for fact-checkers and debunkers. Perhaps the most memorable statement from Andrew involved his purported inability to sweat, which was made as an attempt to rebut Virginia Giuffre's accusation that he was a sweaty mess after they danced together.

"I didn't sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenalin in the Falkland's War when I was shot at," explained Andrew. His claim was widely mocked by the public and was questioned by medical experts. Two years later, in the midst of Giuffre's lawsuit against Andrew, she sought proof from the prince's doctors of this condition, something Andrew's team rejected as harassment.

Andrew also stated, "I ceased contact with [Epstein] after I was aware that he was under investigation," claiming that he didn't communicate with Epstein after December 2010. This fell apart when a 2011 email was revealed in which Andrew urged Epstein to stay in touch and wrote (per The Sun), "I'm just as concerned for you! Don't worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it." More disgustingly, Andrew added, "We'll play some more soon!!!!"

Andrew Windsor came across as completely out of touch and narcissistic in his "Newsnight" interview, and the public certainly noticed. When asked if he regretted his friendship with Epstein, not only did Andrew say no, but he also claimed some good came of it: "Still not, and the reason being is that the people that I met and the opportunities that I was given to learn either by him or because of him were actually very useful," Andrew said.

The U.K. media had a field day. "Not One Word of Remorse," read the cover of the Sunday Express (via BBC). Charlie Proctor, the editor of the Royal Central website, wrote on X at the time, "I expected a train wreck. That was a plane crashing into an oil tanker, causing a tsunami, triggering a nuclear explosion level bad," per The Washington Post.

Andrew's public approval ratings dropped like an anvil from a plane. In a YouGov poll taken right after the interview, only 6% of respondents believed what he said about his affiliations with Epstein, with 51% outright not believing him. In the same poll, 47% of people believed his interview had damaged the monarchy, with 23% disagreeing. Various companies responded as well, with BT, Barclays, Cisco, and others swiftly backing out of organizations Andrew was a part of. As a result of all this, Andrew announced that he was stepping back from his royal duties on November 20, 2019.

Andrew Windsor's statements during his "Newsnight" interview eventually led to some legal consequences. In the Channel 4 documentary "Andrew: The Problem Prince," one person recalled lawyers explaining, "What he said opened the door to bringing that legal action which ultimately destroyed him."

In 2021, Virginia Giuffre launched a lawsuit against Andrew over the allegations that he sexually assaulted her when she was 17. Andrew's legal team originally denied being served the papers, but it soon came out that the service of proceedings had actually occurred on September 21. It didn't take long for Andrew to ultimately settle outside of court, paying £12 million to Giuffre as a result. Andrew used mummy's money, too, with Queen Elizabeth II reportedly footing the bill for his settlement.

This process likely contributed to the queen's decision to strip Andrew of his military roles and use of his royal patronages, further insulting whatever dignity he had left. This meant that Andrew would lose his honorary military roles and could no longer use his HRH title ("His Royal Highness"). The other main reason behind this decision was an open letter to the queen that was signed by more than 150 high-level military veterans calling for her to take action. "Were this any other senior military officer it is inconceivable that he would still be in post," read the letter.

Andrew Windsor has been the subject of multiple documentaries, such as "Andrew: The Problem Prince" from Channel 4 and "Prince Andrew: Banished" from Peacock. However, it's a testament to the importance of the "Newsnight" interview that two dramatizations — Amazon's "A Very Royal Scandal" and Netflix's "Scoop" — were made about just the interview itself.

"A Very Royal Scandal" was a three-part miniseries starring Ruth Wilson and Michael Sheen, while "Scoop" was a film starring Billie Piper, Rufus Sewell, and Gillian Anderson, and both received multiple award nominations. Interviewer Emily Maitlis and Andrew were the main characters of "A Very Royal Scandal," while "Scoop" took people behind the scenes and focused on guest booker Sam McAlister.

These two dramatizations' depiction of Andrew was extremely unflattering, with Sewell in particular portraying the prince as a creepy man-child with a weird attachment to his stuffed animals. Their release in 2024 once again renewed interest in Andrew's relationship with Epstein, making it clearer than ever before that Andrew was likely never returning to the monarchy.

"What do you do with a problem like Andrew (Windsor)?" That question was the title of an episode from journalist James O'Brien's popular LBC radio show in the United Kingdom. For a while, it summed up both the awkwardness and anger of the British public. "Everybody knows what he should be doing ... living the rest of his life in a mixture of obscurity and altruism," said O'Brien, adding, "His ego won't allow that, so he keeps turning up ... He's turning up at their parties, as if he's done nothing wrong, as if he's normal."

Indeed, faced with the absence of any criminal trial or action from Buckingham Palace or Parliament, Andrew's presence at different functions began to infuriate the general public. He just wouldn't go away, from joining the royal family at St George's Chapel for Easter 2025 to his attendance at the Duchess of Kent's funeral at Westminster Cathedral in September.

An August 2025 YouGov poll showed that Britons were fed up with Andrew. Only 5% of respondents had a favorable opinion of him, while 87% had an outright negative view of Andrew. More than two-thirds of the British public believed he should be stripped of his titles, as well. Little did they know what was coming.

The road that the "Newsnight" interview paved for Andrew Windsor eventually led to an explosive situation in 2025, when arguably more attention was paid to Jeffrey Epstein than had been since his death in 2019. In July, the United States' FBI and DOJ claimed there were no Epstein files, walking back theories they both propagated during the 2024 election and enraging the disbelieving public in the process.

However, more documents did trickle out, including files revealing that Andrew paid Epstein for massages and was included in his flight logs, having flown to Epstein's estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, in May 2000. Andrew covered this trip up at the time by stating he was attending a reception for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, a sick twist of irony considering his alleged encounter with the underage Virginia Giuffre.

In August 2025, a damning biography of Andrew was released that further exacerbated the situation, Andrew Lowrie's "Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York." While the book was filled with meticulously reported allegations about Andrew's shady finances and relationships, it was the details about Epstein that caused a stir. "Epstein played Andrew," Lowrie wrote, per The Guardian. "The prince was a useful idiot who gave him respectability, access to political leaders and business opportunities." Lowrie also alleged that Epstein sold Andrew's secrets to Israel's Mossad, Saudi Arabian authorities, and Libyan intelligence services.

Things completely fell apart for Andrew Windsor in September and October of 2025. Aforementioned emails were revealed, which proved Andrew had communicated with Epstein after 2010, writing to him, "We'll play more soon!!!!" This disproved his claims in the "Newsnight" interview that he'd severed ties with Epstein and led to increased calls for the removal of Andrew's titles.

Andrew's biggest accuser, Virginia Giuffre, tragically died in April 2025 by alleged suicide, but her memoir, "Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice," was posthumously released in October 2025. In an excerpt published in The Guardian, Giuffre recounted her supposed dalliances with Andrew, including details about his purported foot fetish and an alleged orgy they had with Epstein and eight young girls who also seemed to be younger than 18. Giuffre wrote, "He believed having sex with me was his birthright."

Amidst the controversy, Andrew revealed that he would no longer be using his royal title as the Duke of Windsor, one of the last nails in the coffin of his reputation. "I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me," he stated (per BBC). "As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me." However, it would require an act of parliament to officially strip Andrew of his dukedom, something the British public called for as more information was released.

On October 19, it came out that Andrew Windsor had asked his personal police protection to seek intimate information about Giuffre, even acquiring her social security number to dig up dirt on her back in 2011 when a photograph of them was published. The Metropolitan Police stated they were actively investigating the reports. Writing for The Guardian following the news, Stephen Bates provided an obituary-like epigraph for Andrew: "He was an idiot, and worse: a powerful man who brought pain to others: a dark stain tarnishing the family escutcheon and rocking the institution itself."

In light of everything, Emily Maitlis, Andrew's interviewer in the infamous "Newsnight" piece, wrote for The Times, "Perhaps the best legacy of this moment — with one fallen duke and the eyes of the world upon us — is to keep asking questions. To find out what really went on." Indeed, more questions were asked when it was revealed that Andrew hadn't paid rent for his 30-room mansion for two decades.

On October 21, members of parliament took the extraordinary step of lodging a motion to officially strip Andrew of his dukedom. The Scottish National Party stated that the move must be made without "any further excuses and any further delay," per ITVX. It is ultimately up to Buckingham Palace, however, as royal assent is required to strip a royal of their titles, and only the king could issue a letter patent to remove Andrew's birthright title of prince (for which there is a petition for). Regardless, it's clear that the ruptures caused by the 2019 "Newsnight" interview have led to an all-out avalanche that has destroyed Andrew's reputation for good.