BBC photographer Mark Harrison has claimed he has an “embarrassing” picture of Prince Andrew that would make the monarchy feel awkward if the photo ever became public.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the award-winning portrait photographer, who worked for the BBC during Prince Andrew's so-called “car-crash” Newsnight interview in 2019, declined to reveal what he captured, but argued the image would “embarrass Prince Andrew and the Royal Family” if the photo was released.
“It has been seen by only a few people but it would be a big deal for the Royal Family. There is a lot more from that day that is not yet in the public domain,” Harrison told the Daily Mail.
While the Duke of York reportedly insisted that the picture never become public, Harrison hinted that the photo may feature in a forthcoming film about how the BBC secured the interview with Prince Andrew.
The Mail, in turn, cited an unnamed source as saying that “our jaws dropped to the floor when we saw” the picture, which “would cause Andrew much embarrassment.”
“[….] Imagine how high the bar has to be to cause him embarrassment after everything that has happened. It's the kind of thing which would make the public drop their cornflakes. It is definitely not what Andrew would want out there and apparently he insisted that it remained secret. It was not one of the shots the BBC released,” the source argued.
The insider suggested that there is a chance that the photo “will at some point come out for all to see, perhaps if the price is right,” adding “of course the movie about the interview is happening so that is a possibility.” Andrew’s spokesperson hasn’t commented on the matter yet.
During the November 2019 interview with the BBC, the Duke of York admitted to his friendship and vacations with the now-late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein even after the embattled billionaire financier was convicted of sex offenses against underage girls. Andrew also spoke kindly of Epstein’s partner Ghislaine Maxwell, who has since been convicted of trafficking girls for the sex offender and sentenced to 20 years in prison in late June.
Additionally, the royal also commented on allegations by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed that she had sex with Andrew in Maxwell’s London townhouse in 2001, when she was 17. Earlier this year, the 62-year-old settled a sexual assault case that Giuffre filed in the US for an estimated amount of at least $12 million.
In February 2022, it was announced that Andrew’s military titles and royal patronages would be returned to the Queen and that he would stop using the title His Royal Highness in an official capacity.