Actress Ruth Wilson to play Prince Andrew’s interviewer Emily Maitlis in drama on disgraced royal
ACTRESS Ruth Wilson is to play Prince Andrew’s interviewer Emily Maitlis in a drama on the disgraced royal.
And Michael Sheen is “nailed on” to star as the Duke of York in the three-part show for Amazon Prime.
It is expected to be called A Very Royal Scandal, and will revolve around Andrew’s infamous 2019 Newsnight interview with Emily — who has a supervising role.
Ruth, 41, is the cover star for the latest edition of Tatler, telling the mag: “I’ve got to the point where I own my career. I’m very lucky.”
The source added: “The whole gripping drama is centred on Emily’s interview and Andrew.
“But there are flashbacks, featuring for example Andrew with Epstein at different parties, and famously walking around a New York park after the sex offender financier came out of prison.
“The drama features the build-up to the interview, and how the BBC managed to secure it.
“Bosses never thought it would happen.
“Everyone was advising Prince Andrew not to talk.
“His Press Secretary is initially dismissive about damning allegations emerging about Prince Andrew.
“Then pictures emerge of the senior royal with Ghislaine Maxwell and Virginia Giuffre.
“All of a sudden the controversy snowballs.
“We’ll see Beatrice and Eugenie and Fergie.
“There are private conversations with them.
“The stress affects his whole family.
“It’s Fergie that encourages Andrew to do the BBC interview, to speak out and clear his name.
“Even though all the royal press advisers are saying ‘absolutely not’.
“The drama doesn’t paint Andrew in the greatest light.
“He thinks he’s above everything and nothing can touch him.
“But it obviously ends up as a car crash, with Andrew not even apologising during the interview.
“The series follows his demise.
“It ends with Andrew going shooting on his own.
“It’s one of his most successful shoots – he kills a lot of birds.
“But he’s seen sitting on his own.
“Other times we’ve seen him shooting at raucous upper-class parties with all his friends.
“It highlights that he’s lost everything.”
- See the full feature in the October issue of Tatler available via digital download and on news stands from Thursday August 31.