Prince Andrew brings new trouble to the royal family: “Embarrassment, backlash”

Prince Andrew faces further embarrassment as the National Portrait Gallery considers an offer to exhibit a photograph showing the Duke of York with Emily Maitlis, taken after his infamous BBC Newsnight interview.

After the November 2019 interview aired, which led to his resignation from royal duties, Prince Andrew gave Emily Maitlis a tour of Buckingham Palace, unaware at the time of the heated reaction his answers would provoke, GB News reported.

During the tour, photographer Mark Harrison took pictures of Andrew and Maitlis as they walked through the palace. Harrison has since donated one of these photos to the National Portrait Gallery.

A spokesperson for the gallery confirmed that the photo is currently being reviewed.

They said: “The photograph has been offered to the gallery as a gift by the photographer and the offer is being reviewed as part of our standard purchasing process.”

A final decision will not be made until the gallery has appointed a new chief curator. The gallery may also purchase the photograph and decide not to exhibit it.

However, if the photograph were exhibited, the Duke of York's humiliation would remain in the historical gallery.

Earlier this year, Harrison spoke about his experiences watching the interview live and during recording.

He said: “When the thing started, my eyes just stayed fixed on the cameraman.

“I was standing right behind one of the cameramen and could see the other one on the other side. I was just fixated on catching his eye. He raised his eyebrows and put his hands over his mouth.”

Harrison said of the post-interview photos: “In all my photos taken after the interview, there is no smile. There is nothing. She (Emily Maitlis) looks very tense.”

Of Prince Andrew's reaction after the interview, he said: “At that moment I thought, 'I can't believe you thought this was going well because the rest of us were so noticed.' And I was told to just go out and take it to the press.”