Princess Beatrice has been blamed for Prince Andrew's disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview, which led to his withdrawal from public duties and the stripping of his military titles and patronages. The interview, in which Andrew claimed he could not have sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre because he was at Pizza Express in Woking and cannot sweat, was reportedly encouraged by his daughter.
Andrew's fall from grace began with his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whom he met through Ghislaine Maxwell in 1999. The friendship continued despite Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor, and Andrew was photographed with him in New York's Central Park in 2010.
In 2015, allegations emerged that Andrew had sex with Giuffre when she was 17, which he denied. After Epstein's death in 2019, Andrew gave the BBC interview, which backfired. Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit in 2021, which Andrew settled out of court in 2022 for an undisclosed sum, reportedly £12 million.
The Queen stripped Andrew of his military affiliations and royal patronages in January 2022, and he later vacated Royal Lodge. Beatrice, who was born in 1988, has faced criticism for her role in the interview, though she has not publicly commented.
