It's the one positive review that Netflix probably doesn't want. Prince Andrew's friends tell The Daily Beast he's “delighted” to be portrayed (by Rufus Sewell) in the streamer's latest buzzy drama scoop, Which presents the BBC drama 2019 News night The interview that crystallized the shame to which Andrew was exposed and precipitated his withdrawal from public life.
The interview, conducted by presenter Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson), included Andrew denying sweating, meeting Virginia Roberts Giuffre, and using a pizza night with his daughters as an excuse. Giuffre claimed that Andrew sexually assaulted her three times when she was a minor and that she was trafficked by Andrew's ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey Epstein, an allegation Andrew has always denied. He later paid Giuffe $12 million in an out-of-court settlement.
Based on the book, Shovelswritten by former Newsnight talent agent Sam McAllister (Billie Piper), scoop It tells the course of events leading up to the recording of the interview at Buckingham Palace from McAllister's point of view – and with her talents and perseverance as key to securing the sit-in. Andrew is portrayed as a frivolous clown, rather than a villain, and an alleged abuser.
A friend of Andrew, who has spoken to the prince since the screening of the single film, told The Daily Beast: “Andrew clearly regrets doing the interview, and if he had the time again he wouldn't do it. He said it with a feeling scoop It is much fairer than he expected. It's fair to say that he was pleased with Rufus Sewell's portrayal of him.
Another friend of the duke told The Daily Beast: “I think the show, to the satisfaction of everyone who actually knew the man, made it clear that Andrew was a very good coordinator of people. He has already played a valuable role for the Royal Family through Pitch@Palace and his other business-focused advocacy work. When he was in a business meeting in a conference hall in Hong Kong, there was real energy when he entered the room. This stuff is as boring as ditch water. He has raised the flag for British business. He knows he made a huge mistake about Epstein, but no one does now what he did then. He still has a lot to offer.”
The friend added: “The irony of course is that News night I got gutted anyway [the nightly show was cut to 30 minutes, and more than half of its 60 staff were fired]Andrew has returned to the fold often.
Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew in Scoop.
Peter Mountain/Netflix
A friend of the King and Queen said that Charles, who is battling cancer, was “unlikely” to have watched the show, and that he considered the “Andrew matter” to be “settled” and that there was no way back to an official. , a public role for Andrew but will still be welcome at non-government family events. Buckingham Palace did not respond to a request for comment on the drama, including whether the king had watched it.
scoop It is one of the television dramas focusing on the infamous News night interview in a few months, A very royal scandal– Produced by Maitlis – will premiere on Amazon Prime Video, and it is unknown whether or not McAlister will be depicted as central to the entire project. Shovels I showed her. Ruth Wilson will play Maitlis, and Michael Sheen will play Andrew. It remains to be seen whether the prince will be as happy with the second drama as he was with the first.
While there was an expectation for this scoop It would reignite criticism of Andrew, and Andrew's friends aren't the only ones who feel he came out of it better than expected. the daily Mail For example, columnist Liz Jones wrote that the show “had a surprising effect on me… I began to feel sorry for Prince Andrew, something I never thought would happen.”
Billie Piper as Sam McAllister, on the phone in Scoop.
Peter Mountain/Netflix
Jones argued so scoop It shows Newsnight The team's courtship of Andrew was disingenuous, their promises of “a chance to make things right” were “self-serving” and she concluded that “when you watch it, you have to conclude that the prince has been manipulated”.
Hugo Rifkind in London times Andrew described Rufus Sewell as “dazzlingly charismatic”. Sewell himself told… telegraph While searching for the role, the people he met who worked with Andrew loved him, adding: “And there are people who still love him, you know?”
However, historian Andrew Looney told The Daily Beast that Andrew would have been deluded if he thought scoop Let him do him any favors. He said the show had only generated renewed interest in Andrew's misdeeds, pointing, for example, to a newspaper article daily Mail About the obstacles Looney faced while trying to access official records of Andrew's days as a trade ambassador for the biography he's working on.
Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis in Scoop.
Peter Mountain/Netflix
“The whole thing came up again when it was quiet,” Looney said. “Prince William said he never wanted to panorama The interview with his mother will be shown again because it is only by not showing it again that the TV interviews are forgotten.
“So it was extraordinary to see Andrew horseback riding Friday morning, movie day about him News night The interview went out. If ever there was a day to keep a low profile, this is it. But Andrew keeps pushing and testing because he's so keen to restore his reputation. He and others believe it has been translated unfairly. They say he may have acted foolishly, but he was not convicted of anything illegal. The truth is that he has some success because he is very determined, and the other family members are focused on other things.
Andrew's representative did not respond to a request for comment on how Andrew felt about the show.
