05 April 2024 , 13:25
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Keeley Hawes has admitted she feels 'disgusted' to think that Prince Andrew was considered 'sexy and heroic' in his younger years.
The actress plays the role of the royal's former private secretary Amanda Thirsk in new Netflix drama Scoop. The one-off special focuses on the Duke of York's car-crash BBC Newsnight interview, during which he discussed his friendship with convicted sex offender and paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew, 64, was also grilled on his alleged activity with a then 17-year-old Virginia Guiffre. She claims she was paid to have sex with the Queen's favourite son, which he strongly denied. Andrew paid Virginia an undisclosed amount in an out-of-court settlement on no admission of liability. He also denies ever meeting Ms Guiffre.
In a new interview, Keeley, 48, has reflected on being left disgusted with how the disgraced Duke was once portrayed following his career in the military. The actress also opened up about taking on the role of Thirsk, who was blamed for giving the green light to Andrew's interview and initially believed it had been a roaring success.
Prince Andrew was once considered to be 'heroic' during his younger years (Getty Images)
Hawes admits it's 'disgusting' to think that he was once considered 'sexy' (Fred Duval/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock)"She wanted everyone to see him through her eyes, and through her eyes, he’s a great guy. The people that I've spoken to who know Prince Andrew are full of love for him," Keeley told The Telegraph: "Because he is a great guy, of course he is. It's easy to forget – and I was growing up during that period – but we celebrated those men.
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"Bill Wyman and his teenage bride, 'Randy' Andy in his military suit. They were sexy – it sounds disgusting now to say it, but it was heroic." Rolling Stone's star Bill married Mandy Smith, who was just 13 when they met, and according to her 14 when they first started having sex.
Recalling how times had changed, Keeley said: "It's very difficult now to take yourself back to that and imagine through a totally different lens how that behaviour was viewed. I'm not sure those men did think they were doing anything wrong at that time.
"They were quite open about it, and of course the tide turns and we all go, 'Actually, that's really not on.''" Despite her continued dedication to the entertainment industry, the star joked that she and her Scoop co-stars will be receiving an honour from King Charles any time soon.
Since the interview, the Duke has taken a step back from public life and life as a working royal and often spends his time riding his horses around the Windsor Castle estate. Former Newsnight producer, Sam McAlister, the mastermind behind the interview claimed the royal had people around him telling him he was "amazing", adding that she believes Andrew was "profoundly sad" that car crash interview turned his life upside down.
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.