This Scandalous New Royal Show on Prime Video Is Riveting, Thrilling and Based on a True Story
The date ‘14 November 2019’ flashes on the screen. An unrecognizable Ruth Wilson, playing the role of BBC reporter Emily Maitlis, rushes into Buckingham Palace at warp speed. Once inside, she will conduct an interview that will send shockwaves across the globe.
In the palace, Prince Andrew (portrayed by an equally unrecognizable Michael Sheen) has no idea that his whole life is about to come crumbling down around him.
These are the opening moments of the new riveting, must-see miniseries, A Very Royal Scandal on Prime Video. Like Netflix’s The Crown, the show focuses on the real-life members of the British royal family and actual events. However, this series is much more faced paced, providing a thrilling roller coaster ride for royal fans and non-fans alike. Here, my full review of A Very Royal Scandal which hits Prime Video September 19.
Christopher Raphael/Blueprint/Sony Pictures Television
What Is ‘A Very Royal Scandal’ About?
The three-episode series is based on the true story of Prince Andrew’s 2019 interview with Emily Maitlis about his involvement with financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. As you probably remember, Virginia Giuffre accused the prince of having sex with her while she was 17 years old, an act that was reportedly facilitated by the late Epstein and his number two, Ghislaine Maxwell.
To address the accusations and end the scandal, Prince Andrew agreed to sit down with Maitlis. What occurred was quite the opposite. This series follows the months leading up to the interview, the interview itself and the fallout afterwards, and includes flashbacks to sordid moments in Epstein and Andrew’s past.
Christopher Raphael/Blueprint/Sony Pictures Television
Why Is This a Must-Watch?
First of all, the performances by Sheen and Wilson as Andrew and Maitlis, respectively, are absolutely incredible. They truly transform into their real-life counterparts, disappearing entirely into their roles.
Sheen’s Prince Andrew is the perfect combination of cringey and naive, pompous and unprepared. As for Wilson’s Maitlis, it’s impossible to take your eyes off her. She is a tough, no-nonsense reporter that is alternately frazzled and capable of changing the course of history.
As the show depicts the real-life royals, we get the same entertainment as with The Crown where we see our favorite members of the fam on screen—Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Sarah Ferguson. But the pace is faster here and there is more momentum driving the story forward than in the Netflix series.
Very early in episode one, we see Prince Andrew find out that a photo exists of him with 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre who says she had sex with him. And we quickly hear the names we’re now wildly familiar with, Maxwell and Epstein. Only five minutes into episode one, the royal shit is hitting the royal fan.
Of course, the action doesn’t stop there. The miniseries is riveting, powerful and impossible to turn off. By the end of episode one, I had to immediately dive into episode two.
Christopher Raphael/Blueprint/Sony Pictures Television
What Else Stood Out?
The use of flashbacks provides an extra layer of drama and intrigue. Perhaps the most effective is an early flashback to a 2010 meeting between Andrew and Epstein where the prince asks for money—and gets presumably more.
Also fascinating? The BTS dealings of those who protect the royals—assistants, press secretaries, etc.—give an eye-opening look into the importance of keeping the scandal away from the monarch. There is an almost overt implication that the royals will sacrifice Prince Andrew to protect the rest of the family. The show also depicts the battle behind the scenes about whether to do the interview—which ends up being the most important and disastrous decision possible.
“People forget I’ve been to war. I promise you, I’m going to blow this out of the water,” Prince Andrew says of the interview at one point. I immediately got chills.
A Very Royal Scandal hit Prime Video September 19.
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