In his much-criticized 2019 BBC Newsnight interview about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew made a series of remarks and excuses that were broadly seen as implausible or tone-deaf, deepening public distrust and damaging his reputation. He denied ever having sex with Virginia Giuffre, claiming he was at a PizzaExpress in Woking with his daughter on the date she alleged, and insisted he couldn’t sweat due to an “adrenaline overdose” from the Falklands War — assertions that were widely mocked and widely reported as undermining his credibility. At the time, Andrew also tried to downplay his closeness to Epstein, saying they met only occasionally and that he had ended contact in 2010; subsequent releases of emails and documents suggested continued contact beyond that date, adding to the perception that his interview responses were evasive or misleading.


Behind the scenes, those involved in arranging and producing the interview later described it as a “car crash” or PR disaster that was disastrously misjudged by palace advisers and by Andrew himself. According to accounts around the broadcast, Andrew and his team initially believed the interview would help clear the air but were unprepared for the level of probing about Epstein and Giuffre. The aftermath saw a swift public backlash, damage to the monarchy’s image, and Andrew stepping back from royal duties; his remarks became focal points for ridicule, and subsequent analyses and dramatizations (including in documentaries and dramatized films) have highlighted how poorly his explanations landed and how badly they aligned with available evidence.


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