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Much has been said about Prince Andrew’s involvement in Queen Elizabeth’s funeral proceedings – but his future is clear to one royal filmmaker.
“Prince Andrew has left the working life of a royal.” True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen told Fox News Digital. “We won’t be seeing very much more of him in the coming weeks and months. I don’t believe that he is a part of the king’s plan for the future of the monarchy. The king has made it clear that he desires a more compact monarchy. He’s focusing on immediate heirs. Being [his grandchildren] Prince George and Princess Charlotte as part of the funeral was a very clear message – this is the future.”
Bullen is an award winning documentarian who has been producing programs on the British royal family for more than 20 years. He also has a close relationship with King Charles for approximately ten years.
The subscription service is launching two specials for streaming: “The Royal Beat: Her Majesty’s Final Journey” and “Recollections: Memories of Her Majesty.” Both feature royal experts and palace insiders weighing in on Elizabeth’s life and legacy.
Bullen noted that Charles’ primary focus will be on his eldest son Prince William, who is Next in line for the throne.
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Nick Bullen, founder of True Royalty TV believes that Prince Andrew cannot be a working royal in the monarchy. Especially now that Charles is king.
(Photo by Neil Mockford/WireImage).
“I think that’s where you will see the king focusing all of his attention on – the Prince and Princess of Wales,” said Bullen. “A role for Prince Andrew just doesn’t exist anymore. He won’t be given any of his military titles again. He’s not going to be a working royal again. So I think we won’t be seeing very much of him on the public stage again.”
In light of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein (an American financier and convicted sexual offender), the Duke of York is no longer a senior work royal. After a poor BBC interview, the 62 year-old declared that he was quitting his royal duties.
Andrew, who was accused by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (of sexual assault) was stripped from his military titles, royal patronages, and other military titles. He was also prohibited from using his HRH title. He has denied any wrongdoing repeatedly.
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From left: Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Consort, Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince of York, Princess Beatrice. Princess Eugenie, Peter Phillips. The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II arrives at Wellington Arch in London from Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022.
(Photo by Bryn Colton/Getty images)
On Monday, Andrew joined the royal family for the queen’s state funeral. Buckingham Palace previously announced that only working members of the royal family would wear military uniforms during the events leading up to and including the queen’s funeral. Andrew was dressed in a dark suit for the procession.
Andrew was allowed to wear his uniform once during the mourning period. The duke wore his military garb for the Vigil of the Princes, where he joined his siblings in standing a symbolic guard over their mother’s coffin.
When Andrew agreed to his now infamous interview in 2019, the prince had no idea that the televised sit-down was a disaster – at first. He was interviewed by BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis in hopes it would finally put to rest any lingering concerns about his ties to Epstein. He also wanted to respond to accusations that he had sex in a 17-year old’s home, as arranged by the convicted sexual offender. This interview was a disaster for public relations.
“That’s probably the most extraordinary moment — when we get to the end of the interview,” former BBC Newsnight producer Sam McAlister told Fox News Digital. “As I lifted my eyes to survey the scene, the chaos of television — the cables, the wires, all the crew — the thing that is most shocking to see is how cheerful and upbeat he is. He’s feeling so positive that he offers us a tour of the palace. The world saw the photos [him and Maitlis]The pictures of him walking down the palace after the embarrassing interview were taken. This gives you an idea of how it went.
PRINCE ANDREW WILL HAVE EVERY MOVEMENT RECRUITED AS HE REMEMBERS IN FAMILY’S SIDE ROYAL EXPERT
Britain’s Prince Andrew, Duke Of York is seen at a vigil alongside his siblings around Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin on September 16, 20,22.
(Photo by Hannah MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
McAlister explained how McAlister conducted the interview on car crashes in a book entitled “The Car-Crash Interview” published Sept. 13. “Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews.” In July, it was reported that McAlister’s book was optioned “almost immediately” for a film called “Scoop.”
A spokesperson for Clarence House and Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment concerning the book. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital, “We don’t comment on such books.”
McAlister stated that McAlister had experienced a life of extraordinary privilege. “He has what I called, ‘the royal delusion.’ I don’t mean that obnoxiously or pejoratively, but the lifestyle had put him in a position where he believed that he was capable of giving good answers. He believed he could vindicate himself, and that he would be able return to the life he had led. He wanted to lead Princess Beatrice down the aisle. He wanted to celebrate his birthday. He wanted to correct the record. It’s my understanding that he felt he could give the answers that would vindicate him, because you would not do that interview unless you believed you had good answers, ones that would put you back into your position of power.”
McAlister claimed she had been in discussions for up to a year with a publicist working for Andrew’s initiative to support entrepreneurs, as well as with his private secretary. She stated that she met her first “face to face completely alone” with the chief of his staff in May 2019 at Buckingham Palace. The interview was broadcast on November 1, 2019.
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Sam McAlister, a former BBC producer, wrote a book titled ‘Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews’.
(Oneworld Publications)
“Every time the story changed, I’d get back in touch with his chief of staff,” McAlister explained. “It’s another negotiation after months of — let’s be frank —cajoling, pleading, begging. Finally, she was willing to meet us again. I was able to take Emily Maitlis, my presenter, with me in October. For a couple hours we saw each other again. The interview was conducted on Monday. Negotiations Monday; panic on Wednesday; interview on Thursday; editing on Friday; and finally, it went out on Saturday.”
McAlister claimed Andrew was accompanied be Beatrice during his final negotiation prior to the interview.
She said, “It was a surprise.” “He went, ‘I hope you don’t mind. I’ve brought someone with me.’ I was expecting a lawyer, someone who was going to close this down. His young daughter arrives just around the corner. You can only imagine what it was like to have a conversation as delicate as this one involving the allegations that were against him … in front of his daughter.”
“She was exactly as you would imagine — a concerned daughter who is protective of her father,” she continued. These are very unusual circumstances and the allegations against him seem extremely grave. But when it comes down to it, she’s a young woman who clearly loves her father and is looking to protect him. The dynamic between them, despite the extraordinary circumstances, was a protective daughter … listening to us, concerned about what he might be doing. She is polite, smart, and open to learning. A daughter is the same, whether you’re a prince or a pauper. And that’s exactly who she was.”
After his disastrous interview, The Duke of York resigned as a working member to the British royals.
(Photo by Samir Hassein/WireImage).
McAlister stated that Andrew nervously tapped his foot during the interview because he was becoming “increasingly uneasy” about answering questions. She assumed Andrew would be “polished up”, and that advisors would train him to look more confident in front cameras.
“We all know someone like this, right?” She agreed. “Somebody we give great advice. Then, when they get to the actual task, they forget, ignore, or do their thing. That is what happens to a royal family member. His chief of staff was a very sensible woman who … was extremely controlled. I’m sure she gave him every piece of advice under the sun. But the second the cameras go on, none of us know how we’re going to react in that kind of environment.”
She continued, “He was at his home.” “He clearly had something he wanted. [But]I felt that he moved further away from what you might have expected. It was a simple apology to show my regret for the friendship [with Epstein] and to show real pain for the damage that Epstein and his associates had caused … He never managed any of those things. It was very wide between what was planned and what happened. But we’ll just never know.”
Andrew was criticized by many in the media for not only being supportive of Epstein but also failing to show empathy to the victims of the convicted sex offender.
PRINCE ANDREW’S DISASTROUS BBC INTERVIEW TO BECOME FEATURE FILM ‘SCOOP’
Virginia Giuffre had previously claimed she was abused when she was underage by the Duke.
(Getty Images)
Giuffre claimed that Epstein forced her to sex with Andrew in 2001, when she was 17. Giuffre claimed that Epstein flew her all over the globe on private planes in order to have sex at the top men. She also said that Andrew had had sexual encounters with her in New York, London and New York. Epstein died in jailHe was awaiting his trial on federal charges of conspiracy and sex trafficking. He was 66.
Three weeks after Giuffre attorneys had made a deal, Andrew was dismissed by a U.S. Judge in March. The prince was to make a substantial donation to his accuser’s charity and declare that he never meant to malign her character.
In a letter to the judge from Giuffre’s attorney David Boies, a statement was included that said, in part: “Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights. Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.”
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Royal experts say that Andrew should not be expected to see him anytime soon, as King Charles III and Prince William are leading the British monarchy.
(Photo by Hannah MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The statement states that Epstein had trafficked “numbers of young girls” for many years. He regretted his association with Epstein, and praised Ms. Giuffre for her bravery in standing up to others.
McAlister claimed she wondered about Andrew’s future, as he was often described by many as “the queen’s favorite son.”
“I think he’s in a position where he won’t be returning to anything like the kind of profile he ever had, or any kind of profile at all,” she said. “We know that Charles has a different relationship than his mother’s.
“I feel that — and this is only my impression — he was regretful of what happened and the outcomes and the effect upon him, his daughters, his ex-wife, his mother, the monarchy,” she shared. “… [But] I don’t think we ever saw that in the interview.”
This report was contributed by The Associated Press.
