A Very Royal Scandal

A Very Royal Scandal
Promotional poster
Genre	Historical drama
Based on	Airhead: The Imperfect Art of Making News byEmily Maitlis
Written by	Jeremy Brock
Directed by	Julian Jarrold
Starring	Ruth Wilson Michael Sheen
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No.of episodes	3
Production
Executive producers	Emily Maitlis Graham Broadbent Karen Thrussell Pete Czernin Diarmuid McKeown Jeremy Brock Julian Jarrold
Producer	Josh Hyams
Running time	59–61 minutes
Production companies	Blueprint Television Sony Pictures Television Amazon MGM Studios
Original release
Network	Amazon Prime Video
Release	19 September 2024(2024-09-19)

A Very Royal Scandalis a Britishhistorical dramatelevisionminiseriesfromAmazon MGM StudioswithEmily Maitlisas executive producer and starringRuth Wilsonas Maitlis andMichael SheenasPrince Andrew, Duke of York.It is written byJeremy Brockand directed byJulian Jarrold.

A Very Royal Scandalwas released on 19 September 2024 on the streaming serviceAmazon Prime Video.

Premise

It is a dramatic retelling ofEmily Maitlis' professional and personal journey leading up to the2019 BBC television interviewofPrince Andrewby Maitlis forBBC Twonews and current affairs programmeNewsnight.

Plot

Episode 1

In 2008, Jeffrey Epstein cops a plea to state criminal charges in Florida in exchange forfederalimmunity. Later, in December 2010, Prince Andrew's photo is taken inNew York Central Park.The two had been meeting because Andrew was seekingfinancial advicefrom Epstein.

In spite of the Florida plea bargain with federal authorities, Epstein is re-arrested bySDNYfederal authorities onrevived federal chargesin 2019. After Epstein's death in August 2019, Prince Andrew agrees to a BBC interview "Prince Andrew & the Epstein Scandal"in November 2019.

The March 2001 photo of the 17-year-old-at-the-timeVirginia Giuffreand 41-year-old-at-the-time Prince Andrew at a house onKinnerton Streethas been published in the lead-up to the interview.

In May 2015, Virginia Giuffre contacts the LondonMetropolitan Policewith accusations against Prince Andrew. The Met dismissed the case in 2016 because the activities were largely outside the United Kingdom. Maitlis considers this a "coverup."

In a practice session with her colleagues before the interview, a colleague playing thedevil's advocateas Prince Andrew retorts that even if he had sex with Virginia Giuffre in 2001 when she was 17, theage of consent in the United Kingdomwas 16.

Episode 2

A few days before Prince Andrew'sNewsnightinterview, BBCPanoramainterviewed Virginia Giuffre.Andrew denies having danced with Giuffre at the nightclubTrampin 2001.

Andrew admits to having invitedGhislaine Maxwellto theWindsor CastleandSandringham Housein 2000. Andrew claims that Epstein was Maxwell's plus one.

Andrew says that he was a patron ofNSPCCand didn't see any child sexual abuse. He owns up to his long friendship with Maxwell. He was hosted at Maxwell's home at the affluentBelgravianeighborhood of London.

Episode 3

After the state of New York passes theChild Victims Act of 2019,Virginia Giuffrefiles acivil suitagainst Prince Andrew claiming that she feared death after her 2001 romantic encounter with the Prince.

Emily Maitlis leaves the BBC at the end of 2021.

The civil case against the Prince is decided to be settled before thePlatinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II;he is excluded from the Jubilee.

Cast

• Ruth WilsonasEmily Maitlis
• Michael SheenasPrince Andrew
• Alex JenningsasSir Edward Young
• Joanna Scanlanas Amanda Thirsk
• Éanna Hardwickeas Stewart MacLean
• Lydia Leonardas Esme Wren
• Honor Swinton ByrneasPrincess Beatrice
• Sofia OxenhamasPrincess Eugenie
• Claire RushbrookasSarah Ferguson
• Clare CalbraithasSam McAlister
• Robert Neumark Jones asJason Stein

Production

The series is produced forAmazon MGM StudiosbyBlueprint Pictures.Jeremy Brockis the screenwriter andJulian Jarroldthe director.Emily Maitlisis executive producer on the series alongside Karen Thrussell,Graham Broadbent,Pete Czernin, Diarmuid McKeown, Brock and Jarrold.

The series is aspiritual successortoA Very English Scandal(2018), about theThorpe affair,andA Very British Scandal(2021), about theArgyll divorce,both of which were also produced by Blueprint.

Casting

In November 2023, Ruth Wilson and Michael Sheen were set in the roles as Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew with Alex Jennings, Joanna Scanlan and Éanna Hardwicke also in the cast.The cast also includes Clare Calbraith as Sam McAlister and Lydia Leonard as Esme Wren fromNewsnight,Honor Swinton Byrne and Sofia Oxenham as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Claire Rushbrook as Sarah Ferguson.

Filming

Amazon Studios started production on the series in the UK in November 2023.

Reception

On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,85% of 18 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10.Metacritic,which uses aweighted average,assigned a score of 66 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
TV Choice Awards	10 February 2025	Best New Drama	A Very Royal Scandal	Pending
		Best Drama Performance	Michael Sheen	Pending

See also

• Scoop– 2024 film produced for Netflix about the same interview, based on a book by formerNewsnighteditorSam McAlister.

External links

• A Very Royal ScandalatIMDb