Prince Andrew 'Regrets' Doing BBC Interview But 'Delighted' With Netflix's Portrayal In 'Scoop': Report
Prince Andrew is reportedly giving Netflix's new movie "Scoop" two thumbs up.
The film, which premiered last week, was inspired by Prince Andrew's 2019 BBC interview about his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The disgraced Duke of York reportedly found "Scoop" fair and was "delighted" by Rufus Sewell's portrayal of him in the movie, The Daily Beast reported, citing an unnamed "friend" of Andrew's who claims to have talked to him since the film was released.
"Obviously, Andrew regrets doing the interview, and if he had his time again he wouldn't do it. That said, he feels Scoop is much more even-handed than he expected," the insider told the outlet.
"It's fair to say he was delighted by Rufus Sewell's portrayal of him," the alleged friend claimed.
The movie, which is based on the book "Scoops" by former "Newsnight" talent booker Sam McAlister, showed the events leading up to Prince Andrew's disastrous November 2019 interview with "Newsnight" anchor Emily Maitlis (portrayed by Gillian Anderson).
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In his interview, Prince Andrew famously claimed that he could not physically sweat and that he could not have had sex with a teenage girl because he was having pizza night with his daughters at the time.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre had accused Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her at Epstein's home when she was 17. The duke denied her allegations and settled her lawsuit against him in 2022.
Days after the BBC interview aired, Prince Andrew announced that he was stepping back from public duties for the "foreseeable future."
Queen Elizabeth II later stripped her son of his military affiliations, royal patronages, and his right to use the style "His Royal Highness" in any official capacity.
While "Scoop" focused on a humiliating moment for Prince Andrew, the Duke of York reportedly thinks it did a good job of showing his "valuable" work as a royal before he was forced to stop taking on royal engagements.
"I think the show, to the satisfaction of everyone who actually knows the guy, made clear that Andrew was an extremely good convener of people. He did actually play a valuable role for the royals with Pitch@Palace and his other business-focused advocacy work," a second unidentified pal told the Daily Beast.
Prince Andrew founded the charity Pitch@Palace, which connects entrepreneurs with companies, in 2014 but resigned from his role in 2019 following the scandal.His work on the platform was shown in the movie before McAlister (Billie Piper) began trying to book the royal for a "Newsnight" interview.
"When he was at a business meet-and-greet in a conference room in Hong Kong, there was real energy when he entered the room," the second pal claimed of Andrew.
"Those things are otherwise as dull as ditch water. He flew the flag for British business. He knows he screwed up monumentally over Epstein -- but nobody is now doing what he did then. He still has a lot to offer."
An unnamed "friend" of King Charles and Queen Camilla also told the outlet that it was "unlikely" for the cancer-stricken monarch to watch the Netflix film.Buckingham Palace has not yet publicly commented on "Scoop."
Prince Andrew has kept a low profile since stepping down from public life but has been spotted joining the royal family at a few public events.
He was last seen attending the Easter Sunday Service at Windsor with his sister, Princess Anne, and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
Prince Andrew appeared to be in good spirits as he greeted well-wishers at St. George's Chapel on March 31, just days before "Scoop" hit Netflix.
