Prince Andrew's portrayal in new series 'more disastrous' than Scoop

Prince Andrew faces "little to hope for" as he braces for renewed scrutiny with the upcoming release of Amazon Prime's A Very Royal Scandal, a dramatisation of his notorious 2019 Newsnight interview.

The three-part series, debuting tomorrow, is set to provide new perspectives on the controversial interview through the lens of journalist Emily Maitlis.

Speaking to GB News about the upcoming series, Michael Cole said: "Prince Andrew has very little to hope for from this programme. It will not in any way redeem him, and once more it will be putting him under the spotlight.

"And it will be a very searching and revealing and really quite damaging experience for him."

Cole suggested the portrayal will be "even more disastrous" than the earlier Netflix production "Scoop".

He added: "The Prince is going to be portrayed in a very negative way by the actor Michael Sheen from from South Wales.

"He's portraying him as a very arrogant, rude, uncompromisingly and a very unpleasant person.

"I think the portrait that will emerge will be even more disastrous than the one which was played by Rufus Sewell in an earlier program which dealt with this subject, which was called Scoop.

This will be more thoroughgoing, and it will be seen entirely from the point of view of Emily Maitlis, the news presenter who is one of the executive producers on this programme.

"So you can bet your life that it will reflect very much her recollection of the time, how it happened, why it happened and the consequences, which of course were dire for Prince Andrew. Ever since he's had a half life."

This period is particularly challenging for Prince Andrew, who is grappling with ongoing tensions with King Charles. 

The monarch is reportedly considering relocating Andrew from the Royal Lodge to the smaller Frogmore Cottage, which was previously occupied by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The Duke has kept a low profile recently, with his only public appearance in months being a horse ride in Windsor Great Park. The release of the Amazon series is expected to renew public interest in the scandal, potentially adding to his distress.

During the original 2019 interview, Prince Andrew strongly denied allegations of sexual assault by Virginia Giuffre, claiming he had "no recollection of ever meeting" her and questioning the authenticity of a photograph showing them together. 

His defense of his association with Jeffrey Epstein and his failure to address the convicted sex offender's victims drew widespread criticism.