Back in April, Netflix released Scoop, a “behind the scenes” dramatization of how the BBC got and then handled their huge Prince Andrew interview in 2019. It was based on BBC producer Sam McAlister’s book. Now Amazon Prime has released A Very Royal Scandal, a three-part series and a similar dramatization, this one based on Emily Maitlis’s book. Everyone involved with the interview is treating it like the biggest moment of their careers, which, fair enough, but imagine if BBC journalists treated all of the Windsors like that instead of acting as stenographers to power. In any case, this is all more bad news for Prince Andrew. Apparently, he’s quite depressed these days.
A friend of Prince Andrew’s has told the Daily Beast that he is “depressed” ahead of a new three-part film, A Very Royal Scandal, about his downfall due to stream on Amazon from Thursday this week.
Andrew’s friend told the Daily Beast: “He is depressed and Sarah and the kids are anxious about this show. You have to remember that he absolutely insists he has no memory of ever meeting Giuffre and denies having sex with her. He has never been found guilty of anything. He knows he f—ed up and he has taken his punishment. He has given up his HRH, his military titles, his role in public life without complaint. I think he sometimes just wonders how long the punishment will go on for.”
On the subject of why his children were anxious, the friend said: “Put yourself in their shoes. This film is going to traduce their father and if they say anything to defend him it will just make it worse.”
A friend of Princess Beatrice told The Daily Beast: “There is nothing good you can say about it all. It’s ghastly for all of them. The girls are just getting on with their lives.”
However, a former Buckingham Palace staffer who previously worked for Andrew said that current and former palace employees who had to “put up with Andrew’s petulant, rude and inconsiderate behavior” when he was a working royal were “thrilled and brimming with schadenfreude” at reports suggesting Andrew will be portrayed as a foul-mouthed, disrespectful bully.
Referring to the fact that Andrew’s downfall has already been the subject of one show, Scoop!—which was screened by Netflix and had Rufus Sewell in the Andrew role—the former staffer added, “Some people thought he got off lightly last time but it seems Amazon have nailed him this time round.”
Some previews of the three-part series have already been published after the first episode was screened to journalists in London at the weekend. Critics noted that Sheen depicts Andrew as rude, aggressive, and defensive. The portrayal reportedly emphasizes Andrew’s lack of self-awareness about the gravity of the situation and his misguided attempts to defend himself.
Current and former palace employees who had to “put up with Andrew’s petulant, rude and inconsiderate behavior” when he was a working royal were “thrilled and brimming with schadenfreude.” I believe it, because I believe palace employees really are that dumb. Most people know that Andrew is very much part of the monarchy. As much as King Charles wants to isolate Andrew, he’s still sleazing up royal Christmas at Sandringham. He was still leading the royal pack at King Constantine’s memorial in Windsor. He’s still living in a huge mansion on the Windsor estate. “Palace employees” don’t realize that most people think Andrew and his long history of despicable behavior reflects poorly on the entire institution, not just Andrew himself.
As for Andrew’s depression and his daughters feeling some kind of way about all of this… Beatrice was right there in the negotiations with the BBC. She was all for the interview… until she wasn’t.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- The Duke of York arriving ahead of the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey, central London. Featuring: Prince Andrew, The Duke of York Where: London, United Kingdom When: 06 May 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duke of York departs Westminster Abbey, London, following the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Featuring: Prince Andrew, The Duke of York Where: London, United Kingdom When: 06 May 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Royals and celebs head to Oswald’s. Featuring: Prince Andrew, Duke of York Where: London, United Kingdom When: 05 May 2023 Credit: Blitz Pictures/INSTARimages **USA AND AUSTRALIA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Members of the British Royal Family attend the Christmas Day service at Sandringham Featuring: Prince Andrew Where: Sandringham, Norfolk, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2023 Credit: Cover Images
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- Easter Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Berkshire. Featuring: Prince Andrew Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 31 Mar 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Easter Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Berkshire. Featuring: Prince Andrew Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 31 Mar 2024 Credit: Cover Images
If you are a public figure and don’t want to be portrayed a certain way, don’t behave in that way. It’s like all the whining about Spare. If W&K and C&C hadn’t done certain things nobody could write about it.
Poor Andrew depressed. I bet the young woman he raped was depressed too. He’s such a douche bag bum.
This.
GIRL NINJA:
YES!
Yeah Andrew, life’s a bitch when Karma finally bites you on the ass.
So sad too bad. He wanted to do that interview and his daughter helped him with it. So he can’t be depressed now with them making a show of it. He should have realized what would happen but he lives so far up his own a** that it wouldn’t occur to him.
His family is anxious, Andrew is depressed, William is a nervous wreck, Charles is all mood swings – he misses his dear boy, but he won’t talk to him or see him, the entire RF is twitchy and paranoid. Seriously, Kate’s “pharmaceutical” video should have encompassed all the Windsors.
LOL
Seriously true. They’re in crisis.
“He has taken his punishment” Has he though? Cause the FBI would like a word…
Yeah, that is extremely telling that he thinks he’s taken his punishment.
I mean the nerve right? Because not walking to church on Easter Sunday with mummy was the right and fair punishment for child rape, human trafficking…
Exactly! What punishment? His mum settled the case specifically so that he would avoid any such punishment. His family have taken away a few of his privileges, but that’s because he embarrasses them – it’s far less than what a court would impose.
Did poor, depressed Andrew try to take his concerns to HR?
PS, great photos with him behind bars!
When is the Palace going to launch the bullying investigation against Andrew? If Andrew is innocent why did he agree to the settlement? I have no sympathy for him or his daughters who have done nothing to distance themselves from their father.
Very good point…I wonder how many staff he bullied?
@Amy Bee, why would you expect Bea and Eugenie to distance themselves from their father? For all intents and purposes, he was a good father to them, despite his despicable failings and crimes, which btw, he was royally tempted and enticed into by Epstein. It was easy for Epstein to use and tempt Andrew because Andrew is a clueless, spoiled, entitled, self-indulgent wanker who was raised to believe the world is his playing field and that he could do whatever and still be fawned over. Bea and Eugenie unsurprisingly continue to see him as a loving father, despite his awful character traits, and his undeniable guilt.
I believe B&E are both trying to live their lives in a way that might provide some recompense for their father’s sins. Perhaps they are not doing so consciously, but they seem to be trying. I refuse to judge them for having Andrew and Fergie as parents. Thankfully, they have both managed to escape their parents’ worst character traits and clueless behaviors and choices.
One story that went around of how hard he was to work for is that there is a DIAGRAM of how the dozens of stuffed animals he had on his bed are to be arranged every morning. (This was when he was middle aged, NOT as a child.)
The diagram was needed because he would have a complete nit fit if they were arranged incorrectly.
So I believe it when I hear that some staff have schadenfreude, especially the low level staff that just cleaned his messes.
@ aftershock – This “good” father was filmed stroking his daughter Eugenie’s bum while admiring the flowers on sidewalks after QE 2 died. Gross! His daughters know he’s a creep. Eug didn’t slap his hand away either. Epstein was a guest at one of Bea’s birthday parties, either for 16th or 18th. Maybe scoping out other teenaged girls? Yeah, they love daddy Andy but can have no illusions about his despicable character.
Fergie stands by him because she’d have no money or home without him + she’s shady too.
Yeah for sure @Blue, Andrew is gross and creepy. There’s no excuse for his behaviors and his choices, and I gave him none in my previous comments.
I questioned why anyone thinks Bea and Eugenie would or should publicly denounce their father. By how they carry themselves and by the charities they support, I believe B&E are trying to do their part in fostering goodwill and help for people in need. They should not be blamed for the actions of their father or their mother.
Plus, it would only have caused further attention and tabloid comment had Eugenie slapped away her father’s hand in that public moment during the grieving period for QE-II. It is not up to us to determine how a daughter or a son should respond in a situation like that.
While Andrew being supportive of his daughters and advocating for them within the firm is, in large part, due to his own ego, he was still a much better father to his girls than Chuck has ever been to his sons. Yes, the bar is low.
I have no sympathy for him either. I do not feel any kind of way that his daughters have not distanced themselves from him. They’ve seen a totally different side of him as a father that’s not seen by the rest of us. They may have come to a realization of his Epstein activities slower than the rest of us, and may have been blind to it for a while. Ok.
He has only himself to blame. He avoided speaking to the f b i when they wanted to talk to him. And his mother had to pay off the lawsuit for him. He has no shame
Where was his bullying investigation? Ratchets, chop chop. You have work to do!
When I first heard of this show I thought, “But we’re already had Scoop. Do we need another?” But if this reminds people about what he did and makes him depressed, then Schadenfreude, it is!
Right? I’m happy to watch both. It’s interesting they think he got off lightly in Scoop. Iirc he was entitled and rather like a man-baby. Maybe the Amazon one is going to show a more malicious side and it’s actually 3 episodes so more time to roast him.
But this one has Michael Sheen! And it’s supposed to be more about the reporter, Emily Maitlis, and her preparation, her work. I will be watching!
Too bad Andrew and BRF. Sheilding Andrew from legal consequences in the US ( paying off Guiffre and Andrew refusing to talk to the FBI) has damaged the royal brand. Another reason why I’m glad the Sussexes aren’t in the UK; they can’t be tarred with the same brush. Harry and Meghan’s ventures in the US and beyond wouldn’t have any success if they were tied to Andrew, even defending him.
That picture of him behind bars. 😂
Funny how all these ‘friends’ and ‘sources’ seem to be just sitting around making phone calls to the Daily Beast, Daily Mail etc like they don’t have a life of their own! I’m getting tired of ‘a friend, a source, a courtier’ when I’m kind of thinking it’s highly likely the reporter or journalist themselves making them up as an excuse to write the story. We are getting smarter aren’t we!
Andrew’s daughters will NEVER be able to escape from being tarred with their father’s brush no matter how hard they try, which is sad really, but that’s something he should have thought about when he knew there would be a chance his bad behaviour would eventually be discovered!
The Karma bus got him!
Andrew’s daughters are NOT responsible for his behavior. Neither are they ‘tarred with his brush.’ There is such a thing as individual responsibility for one’s own actions. If you have a relative, a parent, or a sibling who committed a terrible crime, would their actions ‘tar you?’ 🙄
Do I think there actually is a possibility that he doesn’t remember Virginia? Yes, I think Epstein and Maxwell lined up so many girls for him that he might struggle to remember one specifically. He’s disgusting but will never face the full consequences of his actions.
And I don’t get how “he knows he f—-d up, and he’s taken his punishment” goes with his story that he never even met Giuffre and never assaulted her or anyone else.
THIS!!!
He’s depressed because he’s been exposed for what he’s done. He has no remorse for his criminal behavior and if he wasn’t exposed he would still be raping trafficked minors with his friends like Epstein. So the fact that he’s or his daughters are depressed means nothing to me.
Doesn’t Eugenie have that organization about trafficked women? This must be extremely awkward for her. How do you support your father and not believe he was involved in using trafficked women. Are you saying that Virginia was lying? No wonder she is quiet about the matter. I believe that they all wish it was swept under the rug.
Are the rugs that big at BP? I hear a lot of them are threadbare.
Maybe her choosing that organization is her way of saying she believes Virginia also. But who knows, these people lead very different lives than I do.
The history of that organization with which Eugenie is now associated has been shrouded in recent years but I believe it is one that Prince Andrew was originally associated with before the Epstein scandal.
I do not think that’s true @MayP. The organization Eugenie supports was undertaken via her own initiative, not her father’s. Eugenie began supporting this group independently from what I have heard.
So … he has “no memory of ever meeting Giuffre and denies having sex with her,” but he “knows he f—ed up.”
One of those things is not like the other.
I am reveling in his discomfort. It’s at least some punishment for his disgusting conduct.
…but he did give the woman he has never met $12 million dollars.
The grand old Duke of York
He had 12 million quid
He gave them to someone he never met
For something he never did
I believe him. I believe that he doesn’t remember meeting or raping Virginia. She was just another faceless nameless girl trafficked to him by Epstein and Maxwell. And that makes it oh so much more worse, not better.
I don’t believe he thinks he fucked up.
They are using this as an excuse to reprise and lean into the “Prince Andrew’s mental state is too fragile to be thrown out of Royal Lodge” argument.
Andrew must keep his head down and mouth shut.
He is lucky he is not in prison. Or sent off to the farthest spot on Earth under watch.
Look how E&W were packed off.
GOOD. The only thing that could be more welcome than news of Andrew’s festering anxiety and depression would be the opportunity to explain to him that he can’t take any of his teddy bears to prison.