The disastrous aftermath led to his “retirement” from royal duties and was followed by events that would eventually lead to him paying a multi-million dollar settlement in a civil sexual assault case without admitting wrongdoing.
McAllister has now shared details of the Newsnight interview in his new book Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews, syndicated in the Daily Mail.
She describes how she was first contacted by PR for Duke’s Pitch@Palace initiative, asking if Newsnight wanted to interview young entrepreneurs, and declined.
A second attempt, in which the Duke was willing to talk about anything but Epstein, was also rejected by the current affairs program in May 2019.
By November, after Epstein’s arrest and death and the testimony of his victims, Duke’s team agreed to a private meeting to discuss terms.
Princess Beatrice ‘obviously distressed’
The Duke was joined by Princess Beatrice, with McAllister remarking: “Honestly, the only thing worse than talking to a prospective interviewee about allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior and having sex with a 17-year-old girl is doing it in front of their daughter.”
“Princess Beatrice was polite and engaged but, unlike her father, she was clearly disturbed by the meeting and was there to protect his interests.
“I’ve heard she was close to the Queen. I felt that the prince’s eldest daughter was now the person who could make the difference between us getting the interview or not.’
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