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What Scoop's Sam McAlister really told Prince Andrew in two-hour meeting that convinced him to do Newsnight interview

The Duke of York made headlines in 2019 when the BBC Newsnight interview aired and four days later, stepped down from royal duties


Sam McAlister played a huge part in Prince Andrew's Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis
Andrea Caamano
Website Editor
On 12 April 2024
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When Prince Andrew’s now infamous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis aired back in 2019, many wondered why the Duke had agreed to the sit down that ultimately led to him stepping down from royal duties.

Thanks to Netflix’s film Scoop, directed by Philip Martin and based on Sam McAlister's memoir book, viewers from all over the world have more of an understanding of what went on behind the scenes to secure one of the biggest interviews of the past decade.

LISTEN: What Sam McAlister really told Prince Andrew during negotiations

While Netflix’s number 1 film in the UK, and many other countries, gives a near-perfect account, in this week’s episode of A Right Royal Podcast, hosts Andrea Caamano and Emmy Griffiths, alongside HELLO!'s royal editor Emily Nash, caught up with Sam McAlister so she could answer all of their burning questions, including what she told Prince Andrew that convinced him to sit down with Emily.

Sam McAlister has revealed what she told Prince Andrew to convince him to do the Newsnight interview© Getty
Sam McAlister has revealed what she told Prince Andrew to convince him to do the Newsnight interview

Of what she said to him during the negotiation meeting at Buckingham Palace, which lasted for two hours, Sam said: "I said that in the negotiation, you know, if you have good answers, do the interview. Because the nation needs to hear from you."

She continued: "But on the other side, obviously, conversely, if you have terrible answers, or you haven't really thought it through, or you don't understand what the nation is looking for, you're going to get in a lot of trouble."

Sam has revealed exactly where she was positioned during the interview with Prince Andrew, and why it was such a good spot© Netflix
Sam has revealed exactly where she was positioned during the interview with Prince Andrew, and why it was such a good spot

Sam went on to explain: "I think he misunderstood what we were looking for. We were looking for a circumspect kind of moment, where he said sorry in 100 ways without admitting liability, because he still denies these allegations vigorously.

"And when he didn't manage that, and he said, these rather off-the-collar remarks kind of missing the point, like 'straightforward shooting weekend', it just got on the increment worse and worse, but obviously, he thought those were good answers, which is why he gave them and at the end of the interview, we looked ashen, and he looked very pleased."

A still from Scoop, showing actor Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew© Netflix
A still from Scoop, showing actor Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew

Elsewhere in the interview, Sam reveals the reason she never asked the palace for permission to write her book about the interview, where she was when she learned that the Duke would be stepping down from royal duties, and her relationship with his former private secretary Amanda Thirsk.

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Andrea and Emmy also chat to Alex Waldmann, who plays PR guru Jason Stein, and details how he met up with Jason himself to get the inside scoop.

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