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The decision, which has cost Prince Andrew his royal duties, was made by him and his private office alone, People has confirmed. Earlier reports suggested that Andrew’s 31-year-old daughter, Princess Beatrice, and ex-wife, Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, encouraged him to speak out following weeks of speculation after Epstein died by suicide in his jail cell in August.
However, Fergie and Beatrice “both cautioned him against doing the program, while his then-private secretary Amanda Thirsk was more gung-ho, thinking it would offer him a chance to draw a line under his association” with Epstein, according to another report from the Daily Mail.
Ferguson was out of the country at the time of the interview. When Beatrice met the team from the TV documentary, the project was well-established, and she had no role in giving the go-ahead for the interview with BBC’s Newsnight.
The princess continues preparations for her wedding, which is still due to take place next year, despite the scandal around her father’s interview. On Monday she arrived at the family’s home, Royal Lodge, in Windsor alongside her fiancé Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.