‘Scoop‘ Unravels Prince Andrew‘s Dramatic Fall from the Royal Family

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Prince Andrew’s fall from grace has been well-documented since the public heard news of his reported friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. In case you (somehow!) missed it, Andrew was accused of not only befriending Epstein, a convicted sex trafficker, but of sexually abusing one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre. He denies all the allegations—and, in 2019, went on the BBC’s Newsnight to clear his name.

It didn’t work out as planned. The 50-minute conversation (which you can see for yourself below) promptly went viral, only furthering the public’s distrust of the man. Andrew soon lost his royal titles. Now Netflix is dramatizing the story behind that conversation. The streamer’s new film Scoop follows the Newsnight journalists who secured the interview and brought Andrew’s sexual-abuse allegations to light.

Scoop will premiere tomorrow on Netflix. Keep reading if you want to brush up on the events that led to Andrew’s demise. You’ll learn more about his allegedly deep ties to Epstein, his Newsnight interview, and the allegations against him.

Watch Prince Andrew’s interview with Newsnight

How long was Prince Andrew friends with Jeffrey Epstein?

Andrew and Epstein’s friendship timeline is up for debate, but it likely began in the ’90s. In 2011, Andrew’s former private secretary Alastair London wrote a letter to The Times of London suggesting that Andrew and Epstein met in the early ’90s. Andrew claims that he was introduced to the financier by his ex-girlfriend-turned-associate Ghislaine Maxwell in 1999.

During the Newsnight interview, Andrew asserted that he and Epstein were “not that close.” Evidence proves otherwise. Andrew’s attendance at some of Epstein’s private dinners, parties, and fundraisers is documented. Also, he reportedly stayed at Epstein’s homes in New York, Palm Beach, and the Virgin Islands. In 2000, Andrew threw a birthday party for Maxwell at Sandringham House (one of Queen Elizabeth’s private residences), and the following year, Andrew was pictured with Epstein on a yacht. The Times of London reported that Epstein paid for the vacation.

In 2006, Andrew allegedly invited Epstein to the 18th-birthday party of his daughter Princess Beatrice at Windsor Castle. Epstein attended the affair just two months after a warrant was issued for his arrest for sexually assaulting a minor. When asked about the party, Andrew claimed he wasn’t aware of the charges.

Finally, in 2010, Andrew and Epstein were photographed together in Central Park, two years after Epstein pled guilty to sexually abusing a child. The BBC asked Andrew about the picture—and he claimed that he met with Epstein that day to end their friendship.

However, Andrew also said that he does not regret befriending him, because the people and opportunities Epstein introduced him to were “actually very useful.”

What happened between Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre?

Giuffre was one of Epstein and Maxwell’s sex-trafficking victims. She claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times. The first instance allegedly occurred after meeting him at Tramp, a nightclub in London. Andrew denies the allegation and claims he doesn’t remember meeting Giuffre, even though they were photographed together in 2001. Bizarrely, friends of Andrew claim the photograph isn’t real because his fingers are “much chubbier” in real life. Giuffre claims the photo has a date on the back from when it was printed. She handed the evidence over to the FBI.

The BBC asked Andrew about meeting Giuffre at Tramp. He claimed it wasn’t true, because he was at a children’s party at Pizza Express. But according to The Guardian, another woman reported that she saw him at the club, standing near Giuffre.

In Giuffre’s sexual-abuse case, she claimed to have had sex with Andrew a second time at Epstein’s mansion. “I was very surprised to see him again,” she said in the report. “Epstein and Maxwell were making lewd jokes about ‘Randy Andy’.... I had sex with Andy there. I was only paid $400 from Epstein for servicing Andy that time.”

Giuffre said their final encounter was on Epstein’s island, Little Saint James, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. “I was around 18 at the time,” she said. “Epstein, Andy, approximately eight other young girls, and I had sex together. The other girls all seemed and appeared to be under the age of 18 and didn’t really speak English.”

Andrew has denied all the allegations. He said that “it’s very difficult to forget” sexual intercourse, because it is “a positive act for a man.”

What happened following the BBC interview?

A few days after the BBC interview, Andrew announced that he would take a step back from the limelight. “It has become clear to me over the past few days that my association with Jeffery Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” he said. “Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I can step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”

In 2022, Queen Elizabeth removed his royal titles—meaning he could no longer be referred to as “His Royal Highness.” The decision came after Giuffre formally initiated an abuse case against Andrew. The Royal Communications team confirmed that Andrew would handle the case as a private citizen—or, in other words, without their help.

So, what’s up with the stuffed animals?

One interesting bit you might catch in Scoop is Andrew’s reported obsession with stuffed animals. It’s briefly mentioned in the film, but a former employee of the royals, Charlotte Briggs, said she was tasked with arranging Andrew’s giant teddy-bear collection. “As soon as I got the job, I was told about the teddies, and it was drilled into me how he wanted them,” she told The Sun. “I even had a day’s training. Everything had to be just right. It was so peculiar.”

Paul Page, a royal employee from 1998 to 2004, corroborated her story when he shared instructions for how to arrange the toys with The Daily Beast: “When the DOY [Duke of York] is staying overnight, place one small teddy and cushion in the turn down. When making the bed, place the teddy and cushion next to the teddy on the left-hand side with the necklaces on.”

Page said the instructions were laminated so they could be shared with whoever was preparing Andrew’s room. “If those bears weren’t put back in the right order by the maids, he would shout and scream,” Page said.

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