Emily Maitlis has revealed the awkward request she received from Prince Andrew after her high-profile Newsnight interview ended.
The journalist serves as executive producer of the upcoming Prime Video series, A Very Royal Scandal, a retelling of the 2019 interview.
The interview was widely branded a “car crash” for the Duke of York, but Emily has now revealed she actually wanted to spend even more time talking about sweat and Pizza Express.
Emily, played in the series by actress Ruth Wilson, also spoke about the surprising impact the interview had on her career opportunities afterwards.
On Prince Andrew’s request, she said: ‘Once we finished the interview, I said to him as a courtesy, “Is there anything that hasn’t been included that you want to discuss?” and Prince Andrew said, “Well, actually, there were a couple of things. You didn’t include my alibi.”
Emily Maitlis has revealed the awkward request she received from Prince Andrew after her infamous Newsnight interview ended (pictured from Monday)
The journalist serves as executive producer of the upcoming Prime Video series A Very Royal Scandal, a retelling of the 2019 interview.
‘I wanted to talk about the fact that I had been to Pizza Express on the night in question.
‘And it was a very difficult time for us because, on the one hand, I knew that if I included some of the things that I wanted to mention, for example the sweat and the Pizza Express alibi, it wasn’t going to help his case, in fact it was going to make it look worse.’
Emily added: “I felt a kind of responsibility to not let him into that situation, but on the other hand, I also felt a responsibility to include the things that he had said that were important for him to say.”
The News Agents host went on to reveal that it was harder to get interviews afterwards because it scared people off.
“It’s a funny thing, actually. On the one hand, you’d think it would be pretty easy to get people to do interviews with you because they’ve seen you and heard about you,” he said.
‘And on the other hand, nobody wants to interview you because they’ve seen your interview and heard about you.
“I think it’s a bit of a double-edged sword. Some people come to you and others run a mile.”
Emily attended the London screening of the Prime Video drama on Monday alongside Ruth, who plays the journalist in the story.
Ruth Wilson (left) will play journalist Emily Maitlis (right)
On Prince Andrew’s request, he said: “Once we finished the interview, I said to him as a courtesy: ‘Is there anything that hasn’t been included that you’d like to comment on?’ and Prince Andrew said: ‘Well, actually, there were a couple of things. You didn’t include my alibi.'”
Amazon Prime released the trailer for upcoming drama A Very Royal Scandal on Wednesday, after announcing when it will launch on the streaming service.
Ruth Wilson and Emily attended the London screening of Prime Video’s A Very Royal Scandal at the Ham Yard Hotel in London on Monday.
The couple stepped out on the red carpet on Monday for a special screening of the drama at London’s Ham Yard Hotel, joined by actor Michael Sheen, who plays the Duke of York.
Ruth looked chic for the screening in a striking low-cut black midi dress, complete with dramatic spiked straps.
Meanwhile, Emily shined in a red dress with a high neck and short sleeves, completely decorated with sequins.
Also present at the screening was Welsh star Michael, 55, who will play the prince during the disastrous interview.
Michael looked dapper in a navy suit and white shirt as he posed alongside his co-star Ruth.
Amazon Prime released the trailer for upcoming drama A Very Royal Scandal on Wednesday, after announcing when it will launch on the streaming service.
The dramatisation, which aims to retell the story of Prince Andrew’s “car crash” interview, stars Michael as the Duke of York and Ruth as journalist Emily.
The three-part series will premiere on September 19 exclusively on Prime Video in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The actress, 42, plays the former Newsnight journalist, 54, in a retelling of the interview about the car crash involving Prince Andrew in November 2019.
The couple stepped out on the red carpet on Monday for a special screening of the drama at London’s Ham Yard Hotel.
Ruth looked chic for the screening in a striking low-cut black midi dress, complete with dramatic spiked straps.
It comes just five months after rival streaming platform Netflix’s version launched on April 5.
In the trailer, Emily (Wilson) can be seen chasing the story that would make her a global household name and destroy the Prince’s reputation at a pivotal moment in British history.
Before the interview, the Duke of York jokes: “I’m going to put this behind me.”
And he adds in a voice-over: “I’ve been warned about you. You have a bit of a reputation.”
Emily then cheekily replies, while sitting across from him, “Well, for you, I’ll try to behave.”
Then it goes to the interview and then to its conclusion, where Emily says, “I was just hoping to ask the right questions.”
Emily paired her dress with a collection of elegant jewelry.
Also present at the screening was Welsh star Michael, 55, who will play the prince during the disastrous interview.
Michael looked dapper in a navy suit and white shirt as he posed alongside his co-star Ruth.
Amazon Prime released the trailer for upcoming drama A Very Royal Scandal on Wednesday, after announcing when it will launch on the streaming service.
The upcoming Amazon MGM Studios series will focus much more on Emily, who serves as an executive producer, while Netflix’s Scoop focused on Prince Andrew.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the series will “follow Emily Maitlis’ professional and personal journey as a Newsnight journalist, leading to her critically acclaimed interview with Prince Andrew.”
A press release added: ‘A Very Royal Scandal follows Emily and Prince Andrew in the lead-up to the interview, the ground-breaking event itself and the many questions left in its wake that would change their lives forever.’
In the first episode, Prince Andrew attempts to declare his innocence while finding himself at the centre of an international scandal as Newsnight presenter Emily goes to great lengths to secure an interview with him.
The second instalment features the interview, but the meeting takes several twists that neither Emily nor the Newsnight team could have expected.
Finally, in the third episode, Prince Andrew must face the consequences for himself, his family and the royal firm while Emily considers her reputation and the future of her career.
The dramatisation, which aims to retell the story of Prince Andrew’s “car crash” interview, stars Michael Sheen (left) as the Duke of York; Prince Andrew is seen, right.