Princess Beatrice will feature in Netflix drama based on Duke’s ‘car crash’ interview
PRINCESS BEATRICE is to feature as a character in the new Netflix drama about the Newsnight interview given by her father, the Duke of York.
The Princess will be played by actress Charity Wakefield, it has been announced, in Scoop, the film about her father’s “car crash” interview in 2019.
The film is based on a book by Sam Mcalister, the BBC producer who secured the interview about the Duke’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the paedophile financier who went on to take his own life.
Ms Mcalister said that the Duke was joined in the final meeting about the interview by his daughter, who she said took notes and appeared “anxious”.
Emily Maitlis, who interviewed the Duke, is to be played by Gillian Anderson, and the Duke by Rufus Sewell. Billie Piper will play Ms Mcalister, and Romola Garai will appear as Esme Wren, then editor of Newsnight.
Wakefield announced her role saying: “I have the honour of playing HRH Princess Beatrice… alongside a quite frankly, frighteningly good cast.”
It was two years after the interview, which was filmed in November 2019, that Ms Mcalister revealed the Princess’s involvement.
She told ITV’S This Morning: “The only thing worse than speaking to a prospective interviewee about allegations of sexual impropriety and sex with a 17-year-old girl is having to do so in front of his daughter.”
In the interview, the Duke made a series of astonishing claims, including that he could not sweat, gave an alibi of being at Pizza Express, and failed to express total regret for his association with Epstein.
The fallout resulted in the Duke having to “step down” from royal duties. He eventually paid a settlement of around £12 million in a civil sex abuse case without admitting wrongdoing.
Since then, the Duke has been kept largely out of the public eye. He faces losing his home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, when the King cuts his allowance next month.