Prince Andrew faces an extraordinary public humiliation when the National Portrait Gallery moves to acquire a photograph from his fateful Newsnight interview.
It could mean putting it on display for millions of visitors to see a record of what is widely regarded as the most disastrous interview in royal history, when the BBC’s Emily Maitlis questioned the Duke of York about sexual allegations made against him.
His failure to apologise for his friendship with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein led to him being stripped of his title and royal duties.
The gallery, a public body linked to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, said last night it was seeking to add the image to its permanent collection.
The photograph captures the moment after the interview when the Duke candidly told his questioner “it all went well, didn’t it?” as they walked together through Buckingham Palace.
Prince Andrew pictured with BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis ahead of his interview in which he spoke for the first time about his links to Jeffrey Epstein
Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts Giuffre, 17, pictured together at Ghislaine Maxwell’s home in London on March 13, 2001
Virginia Roberts Giuffre speaks to reporters outside a Manhattan courthouse in 2019 following the death of Jeffrey Epstein in his jail cell.
The late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew watch a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour, the Queen’s annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell photographed together in New York in 2005
Royal commentator Margaret Holder said having the image on display would be a “symbol of his disgrace (and) his downfall as the son of a monarch, brother of a monarch and father”.
The gallery’s royal patron is the Princess of Wales, but she has no say in which works are added to the gallery’s collection. After six months of private discussions, the gallery’s directors are expected to make a final decision soon. However, sources say the verdict is on hold while a new chief curator is appointed.
The image was first considered by the gallery’s curatorial team after it was offered by photographer Mark Harrison, who already has images there.
It passed its “first curatorial acquisitions meeting,” which according to the gallery’s website means it “believes an acquisition offer should be submitted.”
A copy must be submitted to the gallery for viewing, before being evaluated by a second curatorial acquisitions meeting and the board of directors, who make the final decision.
Emily Maitlis during the controversial interview with the Duke of York about his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein
Prince Andrew pictured with his wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and their daughters Beatrice and Eugenie
The board is appointed by the Prime Minister and includes Carphone Warehouse co-founder David Ross, historian Simon Sebag-Montefiore and artist Jonathan Yeo, who painted the first official portrait of King Charles since his coronation.
The gallery, which welcomes more than 1.6 million visitors a year, claims to be the “national museum responsible for the history of British portraiture. Its mission is to maintain a collection of portraits of the most eminent people in British history.”
Gallery sources said no decision had yet been made on whether to display the photograph publicly, but all acquisitions were automatically displayed on its website.
It follows reports that the Duke will be forced to leave the Royal Lodge as the King is no longer willing to fund security costs, believed to be £3m a year. Ms Holder said the acquisition of a photograph linked to “a pivotal moment” in the Duke’s “downfall” could embarrass the Princess of Wales.
He added: “I would ask the gallery to consider whether they really want to create problems for their clients.”
He also said the acquisition was “a further humiliation for Prince Andrew at a time when there is considerable coverage of the King’s desire to remove him from the Royal Lodge”.
The Duke of York during the Pitch@Palace event at Buckingham Palace in London in June 2019
Virginia Roberts Giuffre speaks with Savannah Guthrie, along with other women, on Dateline NBC’s Reckoning on the evening of September 20, 2019
Prince Andrew leaving Chinawhite nightclub in London on July 28, 2000
Royal biographer Hugo Vickers told The Mail on Sunday he had no problem with the gallery acquiring the picture, but there were questions about whether it should be displayed publicly.
He said: “The Newsnight interview was an iconic interview; my instinct would have been to acquire it and then put it in the library. You don’t have to display it, you can keep it. But in a hundred years’ time it might be particularly interesting for one reason or another.”
Mr Harrison said last night he was shocked anyone knew about his conversations with the gallery which, he added, had taken place “over the last six months”.
Andrew Lownie, who is working on a biography of Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York, said the gallery should acquire the picture.
He said: “I’m sure Prince Andrew will not be happy about this because the interview was not his finest moment. But the interview and the photograph are part of history.
“This is an iconic image and it belongs in the collection. The gallery’s job is to record images and history and this photograph is part of that.”
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