Speaking on an episode of the Royally Obsessed podcast, disaster PR professional Niki Christoff published how she would have counseled Prince Andrew in the lead-up to his explosive interview on BBC’s Newsnight in November 2019. Ms Christoff defined she would have advised the Duke of York to “say nothing,” however admitted that her recommendation would have possibly fallen on deaf ears. As Express reports.
“We comprehend that his communications advisers did notchoose him to do it,” she said. “One of them resigned earlier than he even did the interview, so they had been telling him what I would have advised him which is, ‘say nothing.’
“But Prince Andrew has, respectfully, the self-awareness of a vampire. He is no longer empathetic. His demeanour is now not remorseful. He does now not have any goodwill. So the whole thing he says backfires.”
During the interview, the Duke published he “still” did now notfeel sorry about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and had met up with the disgraced financier’s ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell before that year.
He additionally denied all allegations towards him made with the aid of one of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Giuffre (then recognised as Virginia Roberts), which he has constantlyaccomplishedon the grounds that the accusations have been made.
Ms Giuffre claimed she met the Prince in 2001 when she was once 17, pronouncing she dined with him, danced with him at a nightclub in London and had intercourse with him at Maxwell’s residence in Belgravia.
Ms Giuffre alleged Andrew had been “profusely sweating” at some stage in their encounter, a declare the Prince pointed out as a “problem” with the story.
He asserted that a scientificsituationintended he shouldno longer have been sweating. “I did not sweat at the time due to the fact I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenalin in the Falklands War when I was once shot at and I simply… it used to benearlynot possible for me to sweat,” he said.
Andrew additionally claimed he was once “at domestic with the children,” the day on which Ms Giuffre’s allegations are stated to have happened, March 10, 2001.
The Duke stated he had taken his eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, to a birthday party at a Pizza Express restaurant in Woking that afternoon.
“And then due to the fact the Duchess was once away, we have a easy rule in the household that when one is away the different one is there,” he said, including he remembered the event “weirdly distinctly” due to the fact it was once one of few instances he had been to Woking.
He stated going to the Pizza Express there was once “a very uncommonelement for me to do”.
Reflecting on the interview, Ms Christoff said: “His team, I’m sure, was watching through their fingers. I was watching through my fingers. I couldn’t believe it.
“And that’s what he did on TV. I think his team told him not to do it but ultimately, they don’t have the decision-making power…There is no way that Prince Andrew would have done that interview if Queen Elizabeth said: ‘You’re not doing that interview.’ He wouldn’t have done it. So she may not have said: ‘Go complain and explain on Newsnight.’ She certainly didn’t, but she didn’t shut it down.”
“And she [Queen Elizabeth II] had a soft spot for him…so I’m sure she didn’t encourage it. But if she had said, ‘no’, it wouldn’t have happened.”
Andrew stepped back from royal duties shortly after the disastrous interview aired. He was subsequently stripped of his patronages and military titles, and has led a life away from the royal spotlight. He has vehemently denied all allegations made against him.
The disgraced Duke has made a handful of public appearances, only joining the Royal Family at the biggest public events.
However, several reports have suggested the Prince has a desire to return to royal duty.
Russell Myers, royal editor at Lorraine, discussed Prince Andrew’s potential comeback on a recent episode of the Pod Save The King podcast. “He [Andrew] does see himself as a young man who has a lot of life to live,” he said. “He’s only 63. And certainly, he doesn’t want to retire and even if he does retire, what’s he going to do?”
Meanwhile, royal commentator Gertrude Daly told Express.co.uk: “I think Prince Andrew wants to make a comeback…he is trying to find a way to come back but in a less visible way, with less media attention. I think Andrew thinks he can still provide value to the monarchy, if only he were put into rooms stacked with supporters.”
