Sam McAlister, who produced the now-famous BBC interview with Prince Andrew, and Emily Maitlis, the journalist who interviewed him, had gone to Buckingham Palace to meet with Andrew in the fall of 2019 to discuss whether or not he might be interested in doing a "Newsnight" interview. In recalling this meeting, McAlister admitted she knew she had one shot to convince Andrew to do the interview, and so she said something very bold.
"Sir," McAlister said to the senior royal seated across from her, "I have lived in this country for over 40 years and, until now, I only knew two things about you. It's that you're known as 'Air Miles Andy' and 'Randy Andy.' And I can absolutely tell you that the latter really doesn't help you in your current predicament." And Andrew's response? He laughed. In fact, both journalists recalled Andrew being very warm, welcoming, and magnanimous toward them and toward their idea of giving him a platform to share his story. It appeared he felt positive about his ability to tell his side in a way that the wider public would support and understand.
McAlister and Maitlis also recalled that Andrew had brought a surprise guest to this meeting – his daughter Princess Beatrice.
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