Prince Andrew interviewer Emily Maitlis says she 'did not want to ruin his life'
Ex-BBC presenter claims Prince Andrew interview was not bid to ‘ruin Duke’s life’
BBC
The journalist who sat down with Prince Andrew for his controversial Newsnight interview has claimed she never intended to “ruin his life”.
Emily Maitlis, 52, who left the broadcaster after being ticked off over impartiality, interrogated the Duke of York during his car-crash interview about his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2019.
The interview ultimately accelerated Andrew’s downfall, with the father-of-two eventually being stripped of his patronages amid the civil lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre.
Speaking about televised talk, Maitlis said: “[It] changed his life more profoundly than he had ever anticipated.”
Emily Maitlis left the BBC
PA
She added: “He has lost a lot from doing that interview.
“My intention was not to ruin his life. That was not on my radar.”
Maitlis, who now hosts The News Agents Podcast with ex-BBC colleagues Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall, revealed she was aware the footage could be used in any potential criminal or civil trial.
She continued: “I knew I had to do an interview that would hold up in a court of law, once we had the chance there could not be a misstep.”
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Prince AndrewPAAndrew also allegedly admitted to Maitlis that he had to get a sign-off from his late mother Queen Elizabeth II for the BBC interview three months after Epstein’s jail suicide in New York.
Maitlis added: “This is a man who thought he was innocent. I could see why he would want to talk.”
Prince Andrew, 63, was accused of sexually abusing Giuffre when she was 17-years-old.
The Duke of York repeatedly denied the allegations levied against him and the pair later settled the civil lawsuit with no liability.
Prince Andrew has not been a working member of the Royal Family since late 2019PAThe Prince suffered a significant blow to his popularity after his tell-all interview.
The Duke of York emerged as the least popular member of the Royal Family in an opinion poll conducted by Ipsos this spring.
Prince Andrew’s net approval rating stood at -55 per cent, with just one-in-10 Britons having a favourable view of the disgraced Duke.
The Duke will come under the spotlight once again as an American documentary called Secrets of Prince Andrew will air later this month.