Prince Andrew's BBC News Interview

Overview

Prince Andrew's BBC News Interview was broadcast on the BBC news program Newsnight on November 16th, 2019. The interview between BBC's Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, about his relationship with the convicted sex offender, the late Jeffrey Epstein. Many in the media and online expressed harsh criticism towards Prince Andrew regarding the interview, criticizing his explanations and friendship with Epstein.

Background

On November 16th, 2019, Emily Maitlis of the BBC interviewed Prince Andrew about his relatonship with Epstein.^[1] The following day, the special interview was uploaded to YouTube, where it received more than 484,000 views in less than one week (shown below).

Developments

Online Reaction

Many online criticized Prince Andrew, particularly for his denial of accusations that he had a sexual relationship with an underage girl. He claims on the day that he allegedly met his accuser, he was at a "Pizza Express" restaurant. He said:

On that particular day that we now understand is the date which is the 10th of March, I was at home, I was with the children and I'd taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at I suppose sort of 4:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon. And then because the duchess was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other one is there. I was on terminal leave at the time from the Royal Navy so therefore I was at home.

Redditor ^[2] KING_of_Trainers69 posted about the comment on the /r/nottheonion subreddit. The post recieved more than 34,000 points (94% upvoted) and 2,300 comments in less than one week. On Novmeber 18th, Redditor^[3] imnewtothissoyeah shared a comment by writer Lady Colin Campbell defending Prince Andrew, claiming "soliciting sex from minors is not paedophilia." The post received more than 16,000 points In less than 24 hours.

Following the interview, Sky News^[4] reported that "Prince Andrew's PR adviser Jason Stein resigned over the Duke's decision to agree to the interview with the BBC." the tweet received more than 5,900 likes and 2,000 retweets in less than two days (shown below, left).

On November 19th, Twitter ^[6] user @mrjamesob tweeted, "Just imagine the shit ‘Prince’ Andrew would currently be getting if he was a mixed-race woman with a social conscience, a successful career & precisely no connections with a paedophile." The tweet received more than 9,700 likes and 1,700 retweets in less than 24 hours (shown below, right)

Twitter^[5] user @WeeMissBea criticized Prince Andrew's decision to stay at Epstein's home, following Epstein's conviction. They wrote, "'You stayed at the house of a convicted sex offender.' 'It was a convenient place to stay.' It must have blown Prince Andrew's mind when he found out that in exchange for some of the money he had, he could stay in a HOTEL & that there are actually quite a few in New York City." The tweet received more than 9,200 likes and 550 retweets in less than two days (shown below, center).

Prince Andrew's Sweating

Following the interview, Prince Andrew claimed that he did not sweat during the interview.^[7] He said, "I didn’t sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands War, when I was shot at … it was almost impossible for me to sweat."

Following these comments, people online began making jokes about him sweating, posting photographs that allegedly show him sweating. Twitter^[8] user @AamerAnwar tweeted, "‘I’m honourable, don’t sweat, I didn’t have sex with teenager, I was at home after Pizza Express in Woking, I went to tell #Epstein it’s over but had a sleep-over for 4 nights, passed him in the hallway…’ #PrinceAndrew He should be telling this to a judge not the BBC." The tweet received more than 2,800 likes and 865 retweets in less than two days (shown below).

Media Coverage

Some in the media also criticized the interview. CNN^[9] writer Kate Maltby called the interview "a PR nightmare and a national joke." The Guardian's ^[10] Lauren O'Neill wrote, "Prince Andrew is laughable. But Epstein’s victims deserve more than memes."

Several media outlets covered the interview and reaction, including CNN,^[9] The Guardian,^[10] New York Post,^[11] Slate,^[12] The Daily Beast,^[13] Associated Press^[14] and more.

Search Interest

Not available.

External References