Andrew - The Problem Prince shines light on BBC interview and QEII’s reaction to transcript before airing

The very moment that Queen Elizabeth II received a transcript of a forthcoming interview with who was considered her “favourite” son, she knew that it was going to spell trouble for the Royal family member. That’s the revelation that has emerged ahead of Channel 4’s documentary Andrew - The Problem Prince, part of the broadcaster’s alternative coronation coverage over the King’s Coronation weekend.

Speaking ahead of the two-part documentary, interviewer Emily Matlis revealed that an early transcript of the interview was sent to the Queen ahead of its ill-fated broadcast on BBC’s Newsnight in 2019. In clips revealed ahead of the documentary’s broadcast, Matlis said that Prince Andrew believed that the interview went very well, however once his mother saw the responses he gave she immediately knew it would be the car crash it became - a very astute observation from the then reigning monarch.

What was more stunning to discover in the moment shared throughout the internet based around the upcoming interview was that Prince Andrew had no clue that the interview would be as poorly received as it did - “This is how I knew Andrew was happy with the interview — he stayed chatting, he seemed very jolly,” Matlis recalls. However, it was Queen Elizabeth’s private words with the prince that finally led him to realise that perhaps the interview wasn’t as promising to his brand as he had imagined. 

“The Queen had reportedly read the transcript,” Matlis revealed. “Andrew received a tap on the shoulder by his security detail and they said, ‘Sir, you might have to come with us.’It was after the Queen had seen it, that it dawned on her before it dawned on him.” That perhaps may have led to the quick revoking of Prince Andrew titles shortly after the car crash interview, which gave us two iconic moments that have dogged Andrew long since; that he is unable to sweat, and that his family eater of choice is a Pizza Express in Woking.

But while the general public laughed or had their mouths agape just how bad the interview was, for the Duke of York he believed that the opportunity to address an array of questions regarding his affiliation with notorious millionaire Jeffrey Epstein to reconcile with his estranged daughter, Princess Beatrice. According to the documentary, Andrew thought that by bringing Beatrice to the interview and being behind the scenes would help make amends after both his daughters sought to distance themselves from the Epstein link.

Prince Andrew also believed that in undertaking the interview, it would shield Princess Beatrice from the ongoing barbs the Duke of York’s family would face in light of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Matlis rationalised this argument as a rare win for Andrew, stating that “[Beatrice’s] life has been hellish. You had to read these headlines. You’re trying to get married. I’m going to do this to make it better for you. I don’t know if that’s true, but it crossed my mind."

“I said, ‘Is he mad?’ Absolutely no way, that’s a bad idea,” Prince Andrew’s lawyer, Paul Tweed, discloses later in the documentary, sharing his genuine concern that the interview could have an overwhelming negative impact not just on Prince Andrew’s already tarnished brand, but the knock on effect towards the Royal family in general. “But the Duke made the decision on his own. I thought, ‘Somebody’s going to stop this’. In the palace, you know … the reaction was devastating.”

Despite not being stripped of his royal titles, Prince Andrew was officially removed from Royal duties and charitable work, and he has not represented the Queen in any official capacity since November 2019. The long-standing rumour regarding this is that while still one of Queen Elizabeth’s favourite children (including receiving a $4,000 toy Aston Martin during one of his birthdays as a young royal), the damage to the Royal family led for her to push Prince Andrew into seceding his Royal duties.

Andrew: The Problem Prince airs on Channel 4 on May 1 2023 at 9pm, as part of Channel 4’s alternative King’s coronation coverage.