RTÉ HAS BOUGHT the rights to screen Amazon Prime’s retelling of the notorious BBC Newsnight interview with the UK’s Prince Andrew over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Some Irish viewers were left confused as they realised that A Very Royal Scandal, which debuted on Amazon Prime’s streaming service earlier this month, was not available at all in Ireland.
Starring Michael Sheen as Prince Andrew and Ruth Wilson as BBC journalist Emily Maitlis, it looks at how the interview came to be from the perspective of Maitlis.
She co-produced the dramatisation alongside Blueprint Pictures independently of Amazon Prime, meaning the streaming service doesn’t have the international territory screening rights – unlike Netflix’s Scoop where Gillian Anderson took on the role of the Newsnight presenter.
Any uncertainty over the programme’s destination in Ireland has been put to bed as RTÉ has confirmed it has acquired the production.
A spokesperson for RTÉ told The Journal that it has “bought the rights to air this series”, although a date for when it will be available to watch is still unclear. It’s “likely early 2025″, according to RTÉ.
Andrew did the interview to address his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased American financier and convicted sex offender, denouncing allegations that he knew Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked for sex by Epstein.
Six months later, the Duke of York announced he would indefinitely withdraw from his public roles.
Andrew later made an out of court settlement worth over €14 million with Giuffre following her civil sexual assualt claim against him.
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