Sam McAlister, the former BBC booker who secured Prince Andrew's infamous 2019 Newsnight interview, has expressed sympathy for Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, describing their situation as a 'terrible burden'. Speaking on Isabel Webster's podcast New Chapters, McAlister highlighted the ongoing revelations about their father and mother.
McAlister, who met Beatrice during negotiations for the interview, noted that the sisters were taken to meet Jeffrey Epstein after his release from prison. She said, 'These two young women were taken to meet Epstein when he was being released from prison. I think there is space for empathy.' However, she acknowledged that many view them as privileged.
The author of Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews, which inspired the Netflix drama Scoop, also shared her own story of risk. A single mother earning around £30,000 a year, she worried about financial stability while pursuing the book deal. 'The peril was real. If this does not work out, my child does not eat,' she said.
McAlister described her joy when Billie Piper agreed to play her in the Netflix adaptation. 'When she said yes, I was crying, screaming... It’s unbelievable,' she recalled. She advised others to 'flex confidence muscles' and build a fulfilling relationship with themselves.
