Photo from Prince Andrew's DisastrousNewsnightInterview Could Hang in National Portrait Gallery

Mar. 15, 2025

Prince Andrew at the Thanksgiving Service for the late King Constantine of Greece at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Feb. 27, 2024.Photo:Chris Jackson/Getty

Chris Jackson/Getty

A picture taken on the day ofPrince Andrew’s infamous interview with BBCNewsnightin 2019 may go on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The new report, published on Aug. 24, said that the shot cleared the “first curatorial acquisitions meeting,” but cited sources in claiming that the later stages may be delayed as the gallery is without a chief curator. The outlet identified the photo under consideration as a shot of Prince Andrew and Maitlis walking together in Buckingham Palace, where the conversation took place.

Prince Andrew and Emily Maitlis during the BBC Newsnight interview in November 2019.BBC/Mark Harrison

The National Portrait Gallery draws about 1.6 million visitors each year andendeavorsto “tell the story of Britain through portraits, using art to bring history to life and explore living today.“Kate Middletonis the museum’s patron, but the Princess of Wales wouldn’t weigh in on any acquisition. Members of the royal familyare not involvedwith the governance or daily operations of the organizations they support.

In November 2019,Newsnightfilmed and aired a bombshell interview with the Duke of York around his relationship with convicted sex offenderJeffrey Epsteinand the allegations that he had sex withVirginia Roberts Giuffrewhen she was 17. Epstein died in prison while awaiting federal sex trafficking charges in August 2019, and Prince Andrew sat down with Maitlis several months later.

The Duke of York has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and announced his step back from royal duties a few days after theNewsnightinterview aired. The royal said that he continued to “unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein” in thestatementannouncing his step back.

Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew during the BBC Newsnight interview in November 2019.BBC/Mark Harrison

TheNewsnightscandal has since inspired two fictionalized television renditions. The Netflix movieScoop, starringRufus Sewellas Andrew andGillian Andersonas Maitlis, debuted in April, and the Amazon Prime seriesA Very Royal Scandalfeaturing Michael Sheen as the Duke of York and Ruth Wilson as Maitlis will premiere on Sept. 19.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, to attend the Easter Mattins Service, on March 31, 2024.JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty

JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty

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“It started as, in a sense, a non-story, and then it became the biggest story in the world,” Sam McAlister, a key BBC producer behind theNewsnightinterview whose 2022 memoir,Scoops,inspired the Netflix movie, exclusively told PEOPLE before the premiere.

“We are still talking about it these years later, and I’m sure that we’ll still be talking about it for generations to come, in terms of its journalistic and royal significance,” she said.

Though he is no longer a working royal, Prince Andrew has continued to join the royals at family events including Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral in September 2022, the coronation of his brotherKing Charlesin May 2023 and most recently, the King’s church outing onEaster Sunday.

Prince Andrew and Princess Anne leave the Easter Matins Service at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on March 31, 2024.Hollie Adams - WPA Pool/Getty

Hollie Adams - WPA Pool/Getty

source: people.com