The royals may never cut ties with Prince Andrew. Here’s why.

• Prince Andrew’s ‘Newsnight’ interview has been depicted in a new series.
• The Duke of York retired from public life in 2019 after the Jeffrey Epstein interview.
• Despite losing titles, royal experts believe Andrew will never be completely removed from royal life.

The public may not be completely forgiving of Prince Andrew’s controversies, but the royal family is could, according to royal experts.

The Duke of York retired from public life in 2019 after his “Newsnight” interview where he was questioned about his involvement with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

It’s the interview that won’t go away, having been adapted for streaming services twice in the past year.

“It was car crash TV. It was like watching someone get buried alive,” Kinsey Schofield, royal commentator and host of the blog and podcast “To Di For Daily,” told Business Insider.

“Prince Andrew thought he’d just delivered a charm-attack masterclass. But we watched a man lose it all in 58 minutes,” she said.

But while we still seem to be concerned about Andrew’s now-famous appearance, there may be signs bringing him back into the royal fold, say experts.

One interview, two adaptations

In April, Netflix released “Scoop,” a movie starring Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell and Billie Piper. The film is based on the memoirs of former “Newsnight” producer Sam McAlister.

Most recently, on September 19, Amazon Prime launched “A Very Royal Scandal,” a three-part drama series based on the interview account of former “Newsnight” reporter Emily Maitlis, starring Ruth Wilson and Michael Sheen.

Both adaptations showed the painstaking efforts to secure the interview and alluded to the damaging effect it would have on Andrew’s reputation.

The interview followed the controversy surrounding Andrew’s relationship with Epstein, who committed suicide in a prison cell after being accused of sex-trafficking dozens of minors.

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In August 2019, an unsealed document from a defamation lawsuit involving Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwellalleged that the Duke had had sexual relations with one of Epstein’s alleged victims on three occasions.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the alleged victim who filed the lawsuit, claimed that Maxwell and Epstein sexually trafficked her and forced her to have sex with Andrew.

Andrew refused the claims in a statement released by Buckingham Palace in August 2019, but his subsequent BBC interview sparked controversy of its own.

Speaking to BBC News in early September, Maitlis said the prince had “lost the respect of the nation”.

The repercussions

The interview appeared to seriously damage the public perception of Andrew, who is the younger brother of King Charles.

As a working royal, the prince was known for his business associations and investments. He endured the paper as the United Kingdom’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment until 2011.

However, several companies with strong ties to the prince they distanced themselves after the interview. Pitch@Palace, a charity that Andrew created for tech startups and investors, was blacklisted by several previous backers, including KPMG, Standard Chartered and Cisco.

The charity removed Andrew’s name from its website in 2020, BBC News informed at the time. It’s unclear if he still has a behind-the-scenes role.

Meanwhile, senior members of the royal family, including King Charles and Prince William, refrained from publicly supporting Andrew and are still rarely photographed with him.

The prince’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, have continued to support him, although it’s worth noting that Andreu was notably left out of Beatrice’s 2020 wedding photos.

Kristien Meinzer, a royal commentator, author and host of several podcasts, including “The Royal Report,” told BI that the royal family is unlikely to “completely cut ties” with Andrew, even as he distances himself.

She said this could be for a number of reasons, including her belief that the prince is “unable to take care of himself” after a life of royal privilege.

When he was a royal worker, the prince received an annual salary from the Sovereign Grant, funded by UK taxpayers. The Telegraph reported that taxpayers paid more than a quarter of a million pounds, or about $328,000, for his international security detail since 2014.

Meanwhile, royal commentator and PR consultant Richard Fitzwilliams said the prince will always have the support of his two daughters and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. The two have remained close over the years and it has been widely reported that they still live together Royal Lodge, a $39 million property in Windsor which Andrew leases from the Crown Estate.

“He’s such a kind, great man, he’s a brilliant father and now a fantastic grandfather,” Ferguson said in an interview on the Italian talk show. “Door to Door” in December 2021, as quoted by MailOnline.

“I think the love I have for him and he for me is very different from what normal people have. We have a great respect and love for each other,” he added.

Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter previously told BI that although Andrew’s “public life” is over, he is likely to continue to attend family events.

In 2023, she attended a Christmas Day church service alongside the royal family and was also present at the coronation of King Charles earlier this year.

Schofield said it was unlikely the institution would ever fully reject Prince Andrew. However, she noted that her involvement in family events could be reduced when Prince William ascends the throne.

“I think we’ll see a lot less of it under King William’s reign,” he said. “Prince William is incredibly smart and recognizes that you are only as strong as your weakest member. He will be very interested in this when he is in charge.”

William and Kate have never publicly commented on Andrew’s situation. However, in March 2020, Prince Harry, who left the institution that year, was secretly recorded saying he was “completely estranged” from his uncle.

“I have very little to say about it. But whatever he did or didn’t do, it’s completely separate from me and my wife,” he said.

Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.