- She was sombre and make-up-free for her fiance’s 36th birthday in Mayfair
- Beatrice ‘was sceptical that a television interview was such a good idea’
- But she was later convinced her father had little option but to do the interview
By KATE MANSEY and CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
The Duke of York’s former wife Sarah Ferguson and daughter Princess Beatrice were among the key figures pressing him to go ahead with last weekend’s disastrous Newsnight interview.
The Mail on Sunday understands that the Duchess of York had been keen to end the speculation about Andrew’s involvement with convicted paedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein ahead of Beatrice’s wedding to property developer Edo Mapelli Mozzi next year.
Fergie is also believed to have been convinced that if the public could see the Duke – or ‘my boy’, as she is said to call him – talking in his own words about the scandal, they would be convinced that he was telling the truth.
She could hardly have been more wrong. Last week, Andrew stepped down from Royal duties amid unrelenting criticism of his performance. The revelation comes as it emerged:
- Andrew secretly met Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘madam’ Ghislaine Maxwell at Buckingham Palace just a fortnight after US prosecutors reopened probe into paedophile;
- The Duke of York intends to make a grand comeback after clearing his name, but this risks putting him on a potential collision course with Prince Charles;
- The Queen scrapped plans to host a party for Andrew to mark his 60th birthday in February;
- A victim of Epstein claimed he raped her before bragging about his friendship with Andrew
- A former lap dancer alleged the Duke blew a raspberry on her breasts at a party hosted by Epstein;
- A photograph published for the first time in its entirety showed the interior of Ghislaine Maxwell’s Belgravia home with Andrew having his arm around 17-year-old Virginia Roberts
Fergie had stayed away from meetings with the Newsnight team and was abroad when details of the interview were being finalised.
However, Beatrice, the couple’s eldest daughter, was present along with Andrew’s then-private secretary Amanda Thirsk.
Beatrice, 31, and Andrew met Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis and the programme’s deputy editor, Stewart Maclean, at Buckingham Palace three days before filming to discuss the scope of the interview.
An insider said: ‘Sarah [Ferguson] was abroad so Beatrice sat in on the discussions. Initially, Beatrice was sceptical that a television interview, which would inevitably delve into her father’s private life, was such a good idea.
‘She was asking lots of pertinent questions and had her doubts.
An insider said: ‘Sarah [Ferguson] was abroad so Beatrice sat in on the discussions. Initially, Beatrice was sceptical that a television interview, which would inevitably delve into her father’s private life, was such a good idea.
‘She was asking lots of pertinent questions and had her doubts.