31 March 2024 , 17:32
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Prince Andrew's team had repeatedly told him he was "amazing" before his Newsnight interview.
The Duke of York infamously sat down with broadcaster Emily Maitlis back in November 2019 to discuss his relationship with convicted sex offender and paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. During the interview, Andrew, 64, denied knowing Virginia Guiffre and denied having ever met her.
Guiffre claims she engaged in sexual activity, including intercourse, with the Duke when she was just 17. In legal documents filed in the US, she claims she was paid to have sex with Andrew. "Yes, I did receive $15,000. I don't know what equivalent that is to pounds. I received it in American dollars," she said in a 2015 legal deposition.
Prince Andrew reportedly had people telling him he was 'amazing' around the time of the infamous Newsnight interview (BBC)The Duke of York strongly denied the allegations made and claimed to have no recollection of ever meeting Ms Guiffre. The Duke paid an unknown sum to Virginia in an out-of-court settlement, on no admission of liability. But while his interview with Maitlis has been widely criticised, producer Sam McAlister who was the mastermind behind it has shed light on the Duke's reaction.
Speaking in a new interview, former barrister turned producer McAlister claims the Duke was "surrounded by people telling him he was amazing." Speaking to The Guardian, Sam said: "He cocked it up to the degree that he did for a very simple reason, one that's writ large in lots of powerful people in lots of powerful organisations. At the top, you're surrounded by people telling you that you're amazing, and this is a very extreme example of that.
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"He was 59. He'd never had a normal job. He'd never had an appraisal. He'd never been knocked back, my feeling was that through an accident of his birth, he had a real misperception of his abilities." Sam added that she believes Andrew was "profoundly sad" that he no longer has the life he used to.
Producer Sam McAlister who bagged the interview after long negotiations has opened up about filming (WireImage)
Andrew, pictured with Virginia Giuffre, has denied all allegations made against him (PA)The Duke, with the permission of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, stepped back from all public duties in January 2022. He also returned all military and Royal patronages to the Queen and would not return to a public-facing role. At the time, Buckingham Palace confirmed that he was defending his case as a private citizen.
During the interview, Andrew was joined, out of shot by his eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, with Sam previously telling This Morning: "Can you imagine you've gone to talk to a Prince and you're in Buckingham Palace... and you're talking about difficult subjects and then he brings his daughter."
The producer claimed that seconds after the cameras finished, staff working for the Duke had expressed their joy over how the interview went, with one member of The Royal Household sharing how delighted they were due to it being a 'success'.
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