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Sep 18, 2024 By Lily Moayeri Photography by Christopher Raphael/Blueprint/Sony Pictures Television Web Exclusive

A Very Royal Scandal is Prime Video’s third historical drama based on real-life tabloid fodder. This one pivots around Prince Andrew’s much-publicized alleged sexual activities with one of Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficked young women, Virginia Giuffre (neé Roberts) when she was underage. Specifically, it focuses on the 2019 interview Prince Andrew gave to journalist Emily Maitlis for Newsnight, a BBC television news program.

Told in three parts, the limited series is co-executive produced by Maitlis herself, who is portrayed by a tough Ruth Wilson (The Woman in the Wall, Luther). Michael Sheen takes on the Prince Andrew role, whom he plays partly as a genial, if condescendingly benevolent fellow, and partly as a blustering blowhard. A drinking game could easily be played around the number of times he brings up his time fighting in the Falklands War.

The series starts as Maitlis arrives at Buckingham Palace for the famed interview. The story is told in alternating timelines between Prince Andrew and Maitlis. Both are shown in their public and private lives. He conducting his duties as a member of the Royal family and a family man—there is a lot of footage of him with his daughters and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson (Claire Rushbrook). We also see a glimpse of his friendship with Epstein (John Hopkins) and his request for financial help in paying off Fergie’s debt. Maitlis is shown as a driven, hard-hitting journalist who bulldozes through interviewees responses to her questions with which she disagrees. Her eye roll during a Brexit interview becomes a GIF in record time. She can’t separate from work at home, picking up dog doo and dealing with her kid not wanting to go to school, while being unable to have much interaction with her husband beyond what’s happening in the newsroom.

It’s fascinating to see the conversations, decisions and preparations Prince Andrew and Maitlis, respectively, go through for the interview. Maitlis’ choosing of her wardrobe: dress or trousers, military-style jacket to “make him feel at home,” sexy spike heels or “monarchist” mid-heel pumps. Her practicing the interview with the producers. Prince Andrew, meanwhile, fires his press secretary when he strongly advises against doing the interview. The Royal doesn’t really believe this interview is going to go for the jugular to that degree. And if it dares to, he can handle it. “People forget, I’ve been to war. I’m going to blow this out of the water,” he tells his daughter on a horseback ride. Famous last words.

He pulls out within hours of the interview because the Royal family insists on it. Then pushes back and decides he’s going to go through with it. As they ramp up to the interview, each side has new information. More evidence on the part of Maitlis and the Newsnight team, more alibis on the part of Prince Andrew. Even so, he digs his own hole as he flubs and stutters through Maitlis’ straightforward but unrelenting questions. The nuances of Maitles’ career-making interview are illustrated with camera angles that focus on close-up body movements and facial expressions as much as widescreen shots

Obviously, this event played out in the media and the details are a web search away. But the well-paced narrative, and Sheen’s and Wilson’s crafted performances refresh this admittedly abhorrent story.

It’s the aftermath of this interview that proves to be the less examined side, once again from both Maitlis’ and Prince Andrew’s viewpoints. For the former, it broke the internet, to her benefit, at least initially. But its impact on her family is detrimental as is the damage to her reputation. High-profile individuals refuse to be interviewed by her, in case she destroys them the way she did Prince Andrew. Meanwhile, he is petulant and entitled, not expecting things to drag out as long as they have, while his public and personal life crumble and his family is impacted the most.

A Very Royal Scandal does a good job of showing all perspectives and putting this specific situation into a greater context that questions right and wrong. Ultimately, it leaves the drawing of conclusions to the viewer.

Author rating: 7/10