It was the 'car crash' moment of television that prompted Prince Andrew to withdraw himself from public life. Now the 2019 Newsnight interview of the Duke of York by Emily Maitlis has been nominated for a Bafta Television Award.
The interview, which aired last November, saw presenter Emily Maitlis question Prince Andrew on his relationship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who died in a New York prison last August while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
During the interview, which took place at Buckingham Palace, the Duke of York repeatedly distanced himself from Epstein, claiming he could not have met Virginia Guiffre (then Virginia Roberts) - who has alleged she slept with the Duke on three separate occasions - in London on the date she claimed because he was at a Pizza Express in Woking celebrating Princess Beatrice's birthday.
The fallout from the interview saw the Duke withdraw himself from public life and royal duties. Maitlis has been widely praised for her unruffled and forensic questioning of the Duke, winning an RTS award in February for the interview.
Newsnight editor Esme Wren tweeted that she was 'delighted' it had been nominated for a Bafta Television Awards in the news coverage category.
The delayed 2020 awards ceremony will take place next month, hosted behind closed doors by Richard Ayoade and airing on Friday 31st July.
