Emily Maitlis – the real-life journalist who sat across from Prince Andrew – has broken her silence on Scoop. The 53-year-old, who is currently working on an Amazon series about the groundbreaking interview, noted that she was "very excited" about the Netflix film but has yet to watch it.
Speaking to Deadline, Emily explained: "I've left them very much to do their own thing because I think the last thing they want is me peeking around the edges offering my [views]. It says it's based on a fictional account, so I think it goes into different places and it does different things [to the Amazon series]."
© GettyAsked about Amazon's version, which will see Ruth Wilson step into her shoes, Emily explained that there is no rivalry between the two adaptations. "I think that probably is overplayed, overstated. This [the Amazon series] will be a very different beast. I'm sure there's room for both," she said. "It's unreal that there is all this interest and all this excitement."
It was on 16 November 2019 that Emily interviewed Prince Andrew about his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as his alleged relationship with Virginia Giuffre on Newsnight.
Following the broadcast, Emily was named network presenter of the year at the Royal Television Society Awards in 2020 and in May of that year, Prince Andrew announced his resignation from royal duties, losing his honorary military affiliations and royal charitable patronages in the process.
© Getty"I look back now and wonder if we could ever have known how much it would change both our lives," Emily wrote in The Times in 2023.
"Would he have risked it, knowing what he knows now? That he would be stripped of all his military titles and royal patronages, lose his HRH title, be kicked out of his Buckingham Palace suite, and end up paying out millions in a legal settlement to Virginia Giuffre — a woman he insists he never met.
"But there are questions for me too. What is the duty of care you owe to those who trust you with their stories — particularly if they are in no position to answer back? And how could an interview that aimed to provide answers for vulnerable young women not end up hurting other vulnerable young women — his daughters — along the way? These were things I struggled with in the aftermath that still cost me a fair amount of thought today."
© netflixIn the Netflix movie, Emily is played by The Crown and Sex Education star Gillian Anderson. Scoop is available to stream now.
