Prince Andrew 'Tried to Remember Rehearsed Lines' During His Infamous 'Newsnight' Interview

Prince Andrew was interviewed for his infamous 2019 Newsnight interview by Emily Maitlis, who is now giving insight into how he prepared for the event.

According to Maitlis, Andrew “tried to remember rehearsed lines” to fight off assault allegations and defend his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

OK! previously reported the journalist revealed an insider told her King Charles wasn't bothered by the controversy.

"One month after the interview aired, I was taken aside by someone close to (then) Prince Charles and told — somewhat cryptically — that 'HRH was not unhappy with the interview,'" Maitlis shared.

"The comment stunned me. In the years since, I have returned to that one line so many times in my head, trying to fathom the meaning of the message," she continued.

Andrew was heavily criticized after the Newsnight episode aired, and the duke eventually resigned from his role in 2020.

"He lost the respect, you know, of the nation and became, I think, much more difficult for him in his place in the royal family. And on the other side, we don't know if Epstein's victims gained anything from that," the broadcaster admitted.

"We don't know if their lives sort of materially changed," she added. "We don't know, we haven't had closure. There's been no trial, there's been a settlement, you know, costing millions."

OK! previously reported Andrew is currently struggling to accept his new normal after losing various royal privileges. The veteran was stripped of his HRH status in 2022, and in 2023, Charles asked Andrew to vacate the Royal Lodge.

“[Andrew] is taking longer than desirable to recognize the reality of the situation, even though [relocating] is clearly the most sensible course of action,” a source told an outlet.

“It can be done tidily or untidily. It can be done with grace and dignity or it can be forced upon him. It’s all rather sad,” a separate source continued.

When Andrew left his role, he lost his royal titles, leading people to wonder if he can maintain the Royal Lodge without his income.

“But as things stand, life at Royal Lodge is set to become increasingly cold and uncomfortable for the duke," a source noted. "The only question now is when he will realize that he has become a prisoner of his own pride.”

Royal expert Hugo Vickers thinks Andrew believes finding a new address would be seen as a confession.

"I think we must all accept that he is not wanted for any public duties," Vickers told an outlet. "If you were running a charity you wouldn't be asking Prince Andrew to come and be your guest of honor. So nobody wants him in a public way."

"So there he is living at Royal Lodge, playing golf, seeing his children and grandchildren and riding in the park and it is expensive," Vickers continued. "The ideal situation would of course be that Andrew would volunteer to down-size and move somewhere else."

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!