Inside Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson's two disastrous television interviews

It was seven years ago when Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor agreed to an interview that would ultimately mark the beginning of the end of his royal career.

Andrew's appearance on Newsnight in November, 2019, was described as "excruciating" while others said it was a "car crash" and now, the journalist who grilled the former prince is in Australia for a series of talks relating to her infamous guest and his connection to Jeffrey Epstein.

While Andrew's tell-all is one of the most awkward royal chats ever to have been recorded, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson had her own embarrassing moment when she sat down with Nine's 60 Minutes, storming off midway through questioning before composing herself and returning for more.

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A 'completely unprecedented' blunder

Renowned British journalist Emily Maitlis secured the interview of a lifetime when Andrew agreed to talk to the BBC for an hour in a no-holds-barred interview without any preconditions attached.

That, in itself, was extraordinary as royals would typically be offered up for a much shorter time with strict guidance as to the topic.

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Instead, Andrew exposed himself to questions about his friendship with Epstein and whether or not he had sex with Epstein's victim, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, when she was 17.

Maitlis was in Melbourne on Thursday night, where she spoke about the night she sat down with Andrew, which was filmed inside Buckingham Palace.

She will be speaking about the royal, and his Epstein links, on Sunday at the Sydney Opera House. One of her scheduled talks will be co-hosted by Amy Wallace, who co-wrote Giuffre's memoir Nobody's Girl, published months after her death last year.

When Andrew's interview with Maitlis wrapped up after an intense grilling, he was oblivious to the reputational damage he'd done not only to himself but the royal family.

He thought he had performed well under Maitlis' scrutiny and gave the BBC crew a tour of the palace once filming wrapped.

The interview was secured after six months of negotiations, which included Andrew seeking approval from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

But there are differing accounts of how the interview was allowed to go ahead, with one report suggesting the late Queen did not know Andrew had agreed to speak until after Maitlis and her producers had organised it.

The interrogation was meant to clear up any questions about Andrew's friendship with Epstein but only cast further suspicion on the royal due to a number of outrageous claims including that he was incapable of sweating.

A royal advisor told The Telegraph UK at the time: "This interview was completely unprecedented in offering a royal up for one hour on one subject without any questions being off limits".

Andrew stepped back from all public facing royal duties one day after the interview aired.

The infamous chat proved so controversial, and fascinating, it was turned in two separate drama series: A Very Royal Scandal (2024) on Amazon, and Scoop (2024) on Netflix.

Here are some of the biggest moments from the interview.

Andrew claims he cut off contact with Epstein in 2010

The most damming comment from Andrew during his Newsnight interview was that he had cut off contact with Epstein in 2010.

The former Duke of York was photographed walking through Central Park with Epstein in December, 2010, after the convicted paedophile's release from prison. The photo was later published in a newspaper with the headline 'Prince Andy & the Paedo'.

Andrew told Maitlis he'd gone to New York "with the sole purpose of saying to him that because he had been convicted, it was inappropriate for us to be seen together".

"I felt that doing it over the telephone was the chicken's way of doing it. I had to go and see him and talk to him," Andrew said.

"We decided that we would part company and I left, I think it was the next day and to this day I never had any contact with him from that day forward."

But in 2025, an email revealed Andrew remained in touch with Epstein well into 2011 – exposing the royal's lie.

The former prince wrote to Epstein in an email dated February, 2011: "Keep in close touch and we'll play some more soon".

Andrew unable to sweat

One of the more ludicrous claims from Andrew was that he once had a medical condition made him unable to sweat.

Andrew was asked by Mailtis about Giuffre's claim he had been been "profusely sweating" when they met in 2001 when she alleged they had sex after dancing together at a nightclub.

"I didn't sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenalin in the Falklands War when I was shot at and … it was almost impossible for me to sweat," Andrew said.

The Giuffre photo is a fake

Andrew also claimed the infamous photo of him with his arm around Giuffre, taken inside Ghislaine Maxwell's Belgravia home, was fake.

His reason? Because of the clothes he was wearing in the photo.

"I don't believe it's a picture of me in London because ... when I go out in London, I wear a suit and a tie," he said.

"That's what I would describe as … those are my travelling clothes ... if I'm going overseas."

He also "absolutely categorically" denied ever having sex with Giuffre.

His Pizza Express alibi

Andrew said he was not in London the night Giuffre alleged they slept together because he was "at home with the children".

He'd taken his eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, to a party at a Pizza Express restaurant in Woking.

He remembered "weirdly distinctly" because it was one of only a couple of times he'd been there, and going to the Pizza Express there was "a very unusual thing for me to do".

Sarah Ferguson on 60 Minutes

Andrew's ex-wife had her own memorable television interview when she sat down with Nine's 60 Minutes in 2011.

A year before, the former Duchess of York was caught up in the so-called Fake Sheikh scandal when an undercover News of the World reporter posed as a businessman during a meeting with Ferguson.

A cash-strapped Ferguson had offered access to her former husband, who at the time was Britain's trade ambassador, in exchange for £500,000, saying she did not have a "pot to piss in".

Ferguson was promoting her book Finding Sarah: A Duchess's Journey to Find Herself at the time.

Journalist Michael Usher, who interviewed Ferguson, asked about the Fake Sheikh scandal while showing her footage from the undercover sting.

He asked her: "Did you take the money? At one point you had $40,000 cash sitting in front of you, did you take that?"

She replied: "Absolutely yes, it was given to me and I got it in the car and then returned it straight away."

Usher said: "Once the scandal broke?"

Ferguson, who was looking irritated, answered: "As soon as I knew it was a scandal not once it broke Michael. Don't try and trick me now because I am not going to play this game. Delete that bit. I don't want to go down this route."

Usher pushed: "How big a wake up has it been?"

Ferguson said: "What more can I say?"

Seconds later, Ferguson got up and left the room. But she later composed herself and finished the interview after Usher convinced her it would be in her best interests to do so.

In 2024, Usher recalled what happened when Ferguson stormed out.

"We walked outside, and the duchess came running up behind me," he told Nova FM.

"She chucked her heels off and she's in her stockings on the lawn, going, 'Michael, how was that?' and by that stage, I just said, 'Sarah, if I were you, I'd be asking to go back into the room and do that interview all over again, because I don't know what happened.'

"Then she goes 'Oh, well, anyway, who wants to sign some books? I'll sign your book for you. What are your kids names?'

"And off she went from there. Perhaps she is just a hot mess, I don't know."

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Sarah Ferguson's life in pictures

Usher said Ferguson insisted she be addressed by her royal title – which was later removed by King Charles in October, 2025.

"I had to call her duchess. She wouldn't let me call her Sarah, lots and lots of airs and graces, but she was fine, and she was relatively sweet," Usher said.

"But then there was just this moment … she turned and getting her back into the chair, was crazy.

"She came back and she continued the interview, and then it was like a different personality again."

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