Sam McAlister, one of the executives involved in the meeting, wrote a memoir that was turned into the Netflix drama Scoop. She says Beatrice “asked sensible questions” ahead of the interview.
Sam says she felt for the princess as her father “discussed his relationship” with the disgraced millionaire. Andrew decided to go ahead with the interview, which proved to be a disaster, reports The Mirror.
He subsequently stepped back from public life and was stripped of his military affiliations and royal titles. Beatrice was said to be left “mortified” as she didn’t do more to stop the interview from going ahead.
According to the Mail on Sunday, she held a 36th birthday dinner for then-fiancee now husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi shortly after the interview was aired. The source said Beatrice was “quite tearful at times”, adding: “In fact, Beatrice has been in tears every day since the interview went out.”
Meanwhile, another insider told the publication: “Both Sarah and Andrew rely on Beatrice’s judgement a lot when it comes to dealing with the public as she’s got an old head on young shoulders. You can’t really blame Beatrice because I think the odds were stacked against her on this one.”
The Newsnight interview saw Andrew making claims about his inability to sweat and recalling a family trip to Pizza Express in Woking. Andrew also claimed he “ceased contact” with Epstein after he became aware he was “under investigation” in 2006.
Andrew later went to stop with Epstein in December 2010. He claimed he went with the “sole purpose” of telling the businessman it was “inappropriate to be seen together”.
Last month however reports emerged that Andrew continued to remain in contact with Epstein. It comes as a recent memoir from the late Virginia Giuffre claims she had sex with Andrew three times when she was 17 – in New York, London, and the US Virgin Islands.
Andrew however denies the claims. Last week Buckingham Palace announced the King had “initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew” and served notice on Royal Lodge, his 30-room mansion.
“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” the statement continued.
The Palace also expressed its support for victims of “any and all forms of abuse”. Beatrice, and sister Eugenie, are set to keep their princess titles.