Michael Sheen and Ruth Wilson star in a dramatisation of Emily Maitlis’ infamous interview with Prince Andrew. Here’s our A Very Royal Scandal review.
Prime Video’s A Very Royal Scandal is the second dramatisation of Emily Maitlis’ interview with Prince Andrew we’ve seen in a year. We found the previous one, Netflix’s Scoop, to be a little lacklustre, but thankfully, A Very Royal Scandal is a much more entertaining affair.
A Very Royal Scandal follows A Very English Scandal and A Very British Scandal – we’re sensing a pattern here – as a fictional look at events in British history. A Very Royal Scandal presents a much more modern case, one that most of us remember very well. That comes with its own difficulties, but for the most part, A Very Royal Scandal excels at what it sets out to do.
Ruth Wilson plays Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis who pursues an interview with Prince Andrew (Michael Sheen) about his relationship with billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Maitlis is a tough-as-nails presenter who isn’t afraid to make her feelings known live on air, making her a controversial figure. Prince Andrew meanwhile is a soft, seemingly harmless prince, who constantly needs reassurance from the people around him.
Consisting of three episodes in total, A Very Royal Scandal throws us right into the interview situation in the first episode. The full interview won’t unfold in its entirety until episode two, but we see the almost military-like operation of setting up the meeting between a member of the Royal family and the BBC. It’s fascinating, and I’d happily watch an entire series of just the behind-the-scenes events.
As a series about investigative journalism, A Very Royal Scandal is excellent. It’s a completely different story from Netflix’s Scoop, which largely attributed the interview happening to Billie Piper’s Sam McAlister, whereas A Very Royal Scandal keeps its focus tightly on Maitlis. McAlister is still a presence here, just a much smaller one, and it’s Maitlis who gets most of the credit.
The interview itself is also thrilling. Director Julian Jarrod doesn’t feel the need to add any manipulative or dramatic music, trusting the severity of the situation. Of course, it wouldn’t work as well without Sheen and Wilson. Both are on great form here, but Sheen is particularly impressive, crafting a detailed portrait of a man who yearns to be more than he is. Prince Andrew comes across as a frustrated man-child, though crucially, Jarrod and writer Jeremy Brock never ask us to empathise with the character.
However, the last episode shows us the aftermath of the interview. While Prince Andrew seems to have brought it all down on himself, the episode asks us to consider the interview’s effect on his daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. It’s a welcome new perspective on the situation and just how monumental the consequences were.
The supporting cast are also phenomenal. Joanna Scanlan as the Prince’s private secretary Amanda Thirsk is a particular highlight. Thirsk has to manage not only Andrew’s daily schedule, but his mood swings and save him from tricky situations where the Prince is in over his head. John Hopkins plays Jeffrey Epstein, though thankfully the character is a small presence. This isn’t his story, but he’s inevitably a key player.
A Very Royal Scandal is at its best when it focuses on the investigative journalism angle. We’re less interested in Prince Andrew and his feelings, but Sheen is a fascinating performer and manages to work wonders in a tricky role. A Very Royal Scandal doesn’t necessarily offer us anything new or insightful about the interview itself, but the performances alone are worth tuning in for.
A Very Royal Scandal streams on Prime Video from 19th September.
