Photographer Mark Harrison has described an awkward encounter with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, saying the former prince ignored him for 40 minutes before the 2019 BBC Newsnight interview. Harrison said Andrew looked "totally shocked" when he finally approached him.
Andrew has returned to the headlines in recent weeks after securing a legal victory over Thames Valley Police. He launched legal action over the search warrants used to raid his home following his arrest on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Andrew, who denies any wrongdoing, reportedly reached an "agreement" that the warrants were unlawful, although police are seeking to retain evidence seized during searches of his homes.
Behind the scenes of the Newsnight interview
In 2019, Harrison was hired to photograph the BBC Newsnight interview with Andrew, then the Duke of York, conducted by journalist Emily Maitlis. Speaking to the Fred and Harry Borden channel on YouTube, Harrison described the events unfolding.
He said: "He greets us all. It's all smiles, all wonderful. And he takes us on a tour down the corridor, and he explains about the tall pillars that are in the marble hall, where they came from, how much they cost."
Harrison added: "It's a really bizarre moment where I'm walking along, listening to a royal tell me basically how impressive this place is and sort of reminding us all where we are. That's the impression I got was just take note, you're in the proper gaff here."
Left alone with Andrew
As the team prepared for the interview, Harrison found himself alone in a room with the former prince. He said: "The crew sort of go and set up another shot and I'm left in this room with Andrew in this huge room on my own. And he has looked through me for the last 40 minutes, I'd say, like I am invisible, like I'm a ghost."
Harrison suggested Andrew might have what he described as an "invisibility thing", whereby "little people are not worth looking at". He added that Andrew had "literally looked through" him.
A 'shocked' reaction
Eventually, Harrison decided to break the silence. He checked royal protocol to ensure he addressed Andrew correctly before introducing himself as the photographer. He claimed Andrew looked "totally shocked" when he approached him.
"And he looked like a light bulb had gone off. He looked totally shocked even that somebody was approaching him. And so we shook hands, and he said, 'What are the pictures for?' And I went, 'I have no idea'."
Emily Maitlis arrived shortly afterwards to film the interview, which would later be seen as a turning point in Andrew's life.
