Prince Andrew, a younger brother of King Charles, was widely thought to be Queen Elizabeth's favorite son. That's key context for Scoop, Netflix's new film dramatizing the Duke of York's disastrous 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight.
"Why did [Andrew] agree to do this? Why take the enormous risk? It’s easy to look back, now that we know how it went, and say that the decision was reckless. But, at the time, it made perfect sense to me, and, clearly, to him and, by extension, to Amanda [Thirsk, his private secretary]," Sam McAlister writes in Scoops, which served as the basis for the film. "Few people think they will do badly, as it happens. Few people imagine their own answers doing them harm."
Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews
She continues, "You also have to remember the life he had lived. The third child and second son but always said to be the Queen’s favourite. Granted extraordinary access and opportunity. Fawned over wherever he went... Andrew had not been subjected to the normal checks and balances. He and his people must have thought this moment, this hour of his life, would change the public perception of him for the better. It seems inconceivable now."
Indeed, Queen Elizabeth's actions after the interview demonstrated her support for her beleaguered son. "To repeat a phrase that has long echoed around royal palaces and newspapers, Andrew is the queen's favorite son.' When his royal and military career entered its dizzying tailspin, the monarch wanted to be seen to be protecting him," Simon Usborne wrote in Town & Country's April 2022 issue. Richard Kay, a royal correspondent, told Usborne at the time, "People around the royal family who have worked for them tell me Andrew still occupies this special place in the queen's heart."
That favored status for Andrew continued after the interview, and even after Andrew stepped down as a senior working royal. In March 2022, just weeks after Andrew settled a sexual assault case in U.S., Queen Elizabeth attended the memorial service for Prince Philip with Andrew, a remarkable show of support for her son.
Queen Elizabeth arrives in Westminster Abbey, accompanied by Prince Andrew.
Upon her passing in September 2022, Prince Andrew wrote in a tribute, "Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, your confidence I will treasure forever. I have found your knowledge and wisdom infinite, with no boundary or containment." He added, "I will miss your insights, advice and humour. As our book of experiences closes, another opens, and I will forever hold you close to my heart with my deepest love and gratitude, and I will tread gladly into the next with you as my guide."
Senior News Editor
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
