Photographer reveals how Prince Andrew gave Emily Maitlis an off-camera explanation of his 'non-sweating' condition during infamous Newsnight interview
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It has been seven years since the BBC’s Newsnight interview that precipitated the downfall of Prince Andrew.
Veteran broadcaster Emily Maitlis’s skilful line of questioning left the Duke of York with the impression that he had successfully cleared his name. But when the interview aired, his extraordinary explanations and lingering questions about his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein prompted a public backlash that would eventually cost him his royal status.
Among the claims that attracted widespread ridicule was Andrew’s insistence that he did not sweat- despite Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre recalling that he had been ‘profusely sweating’ when they danced together at London’s Tramp nightclub.
Andrew told Maitlis that he had been unable to sweat because of a medical condition brought on by an ‘overdose of adrenaline’ during the Falklands War, when he had come under enemy fire.
But now photographer Mark Harrison, who travelled to Buckingham Palace to capture the still photographs accompanying the infamous interview, has revealed that Andrew offered a rather more in-depth explanation for his supposed inability to perspire during a break in filming.
Speaking about the encounter in an interview with fellow photographer, Harry Borden, Harrison said the prince had linked the condition to his training as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot, during which he had been taught to overcome his natural instincts when confronted by an incoming missile.
‘His story is that he described being a pilot in the helicopter, being shot at while he was a helicopter pilot by a missile and the training they’d been given was to do the opposite instinct-wise,’ he explained.
When the interview was broadcast on November 16, 2019, a royal disaster engulfed the palace
Mark Harrison, who travelled to Buckingham Palace to capture the still photographs accompanying the infamous interview, has revealed that Andrew offered a rather more in-depth explanation for his supposed inability to perspire
‘So, the instinct is to turn away from the missile, and he’d been trained to do the opposite and go against the grain, and this had brought on, what he describes as the absence of sweating condition.’
Harrison revealed that the exchange had taken place while the cameras were not rolling, and that Maitlis had pressed Andrew on whether he had ever explained the condition publicly before.
‘Emily Maitlis said, “Have you ever put this on camera before?” and he said, “No.”’
However, when filming resumed, Andrew did not repeat the explanation about his helicopter training. Instead, he reverted to his account of suffering from a condition that prevented him from sweating, leaving the anecdote out of the televised interview.
The revelation offers a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes moments of the interview in which Prince Andrew had agreed to partake in order to clear his name.
Indeed, as an observer who watched the interview unfold, Harrison says that the production crew were left incredulous that the prince had been satisfied with his performance as Harrison described him as ‘upbeat, very smiley, right to the end, confident and he felt well-rehearsed'.
Harrison then added: ‘After I got the holding shot of the two of them and that’s the moment where he says to her, ‘Well that went really well didn’t it?’ And then Emily Maitlis delivers this great line, which even she doesn’t remember saying, because she’s messaged me since to say that the whole thing is a blur to her. And she delivered this great line where she said, "Yeah, it was great, it was a real walk in the park wasn’t it?" Which of course references the photos of Prince Andrew walking in the park with Epstein in New York.’
The photographer's brilliant holding shot was quickly followed by Andrew's line about the interview going really well
But when the interview was broadcast on November 16, 2019, a royal disaster engulfed the palace.
His explanation for visiting Pizza Express in Woking on the night of his alleged encounter with Giuffre, became the subject of widespread public mockery as well as his claim that he’s unable to sweat which seems medically implausible.
But more importantly viewers were concerned by his inability to express sympathy for Epstein’s victims. When Maitlis pointed out that Epstein was a convicted sex offender, the exchange became one of the interview's most scrutinised moments and within days of the interview’s broadcast the prince stepped back from public duties.
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