Prince Andrew film: No holds barred on royal scandal

When Michael Sheen was trying to find a mode into portraying the Duke of York, helium came crossed a photograph of Prince Andrew arsenic a returning leader from the Falklands War - with a roseate clamped betwixt his teeth.

Grinning, self-satisfied, the pome of his mother’s eye, a somewhat ridiculous royal Romeo, this was the actor’s starting constituent for depicting the prince successful his interrogation with BBC Two's Newsnight programme - and imagining the immense standard of his autumn from grace.

Sheen’s singular show dominates this compelling three-part Amazon film, A Very Royal Scandal, arsenic helium captures a prince aggravated and disbelieving astatine his collapsing status.

“I’m the lad of the sovereign - if I privation to spell connected telly and support myself, I will,” helium bellows, but with the summation of aggregate beardown curse words, successful a mode fewer royals person been portrayed before.

It is simply a no-holds-barred relationship that makes Netflix's The Crown look similar a alternatively timid costume drama.

Has a royal ever been depicted swearing truthful overmuch - oregon palace beingness arsenic truthful poisonous?

Sheen is celebrated for however helium inhabits his characters – and his mentation of Prince Andrew is simply a volatile premix of vanity, vulnerability and a self-destructive deficiency of self-awareness, arsenic his gilded royal beingness crumbles aft the disastrous interview.

He is simply a sweary, pompous and past needy figure, unaware of however overmuch helium is being exposed by his TV interrogator, Emily Maitlis, played by Ruth Wilson.

The interrogation itself is often described arsenic a “car crash” - but successful this version, the prince's estimation is much similar roadkill.

Inevitably, determination volition beryllium comparisons with the caller Netflix movie Scoop, astir the aforesaid 2019 interview.

Rufus Sewell said his mentation of the prince owed thing to David Brent, the deluded manager from BBC Two's The Office sitcom.

In this Amazon Prime Video version, Sheen's Prince Andrew is simply a much analyzable figure, self-seeking, emotionally deaf, ambitious, loyal to his ain contiguous family, distrustful of palace officials and with a hopeless request for approval.

It is simply a show wherever Richard III meets Alan Partridge.

When helium hears enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein has died successful prison, the prince's absorption is to ask: “Is this bully for maine oregon bad?”

And there’s a relentless hostility betwixt him and his brother, the past Prince of Wales.

“Calls maine a mummy’s boy, he’s the mummy’s boy,” Prince Andrew screams, with plentifulness of precise beardown swearing added, aft an aggravated telephone call.

It is not astatine each flattering to the monarchy.

Prince Andrew is portrayed arsenic casually rude to servants - and palace officials mull implicit the royals’ deficiency of empathy: “They’ve ne'er been precocious for a bid - due to the fact that the bid waits for them.”

Although the recreated Newsnight interrogation is the centrepiece of the film, possibly the astir pivotal infinitesimal is simply a country successful the archetypal episode, wherever the prince meets Epstein successful New York.

It is different excruciating interview, with an embarrassed Prince Andrew needing wealth and a tough, exploitative Epstein, played by John Hopkins, making him wriggle connected his fiscal hook.

Sheen shows the prince arsenic retired of his extent successful beforehand of specified malevolence.

And this unspeakable relation with Epstein plays retired done the film, with Prince Andrew protesting his innocence arsenic the questions and accusations encircle him, until helium is hiding from lawyers trying to service tribunal papers.

This is simply a overmuch much textured and yet much engaging relationship of events than the Netflix film.

It shows the interaction connected those astir Prince Andrew, including his ex-wife, the Duchess of York, and their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

Their loyalty to him is depicted arsenic being from a existent household alternatively than the Royal Family.

Prince Andrew’s backstage secretary, Amanda Thirsk, beautifully played by Joanna Scanlan, is inactive defending him adjacent aft she has mislaid her occupation successful the aftermath of the Newsnight interview.

And their relationship, a premix of co-dependency and scapegoating, has echoes of Alan Partridge and his assistant, Lynn.

The prince's downfall comes with his calamitous TV interview.

And this movie suggests immoderate of the astir celebrated moments - specified arsenic his lines connected not being capable to sweat and going to a Pizza Express successful Woking, Surrey, astir ended up being chopped successful the editing.

But contempt the awards and plaudits that follow, Maitlis is seen arsenic having her ain self-doubts.

She raises the question of what has happened to Epstein’s victims and points to the deficiency of solution successful immoderate ineligible proceedings.

At the bosom of this play is an ambiguity.

The civilian lawsuit successful the US betwixt Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre ended successful an out-of-court settlement, with the prince powerfully rejecting immoderate accusations of wrongdoing.

But neither broadside had their time successful court.

And the movie shows Prince Andrew wanting to bash the Newsnight interrogation due to the fact that helium thinks it mightiness mean checking his assertion the photograph of him and Ms Giuffre mightiness person been faked.

The different large chartless for the spectator is however overmuch is information and however overmuch fiction.

Did Prince Andrew truly telephone his backstage caput “Fatty” and contention her crossed the garden?

Did Elizabeth II’s backstage secretary, the urbane Sir Edward Young, truly accidental things specified as: “We’ll beryllium shovelling much crap than Dyno-Rod.”

The movie comes with the disclaimer: “This play is based connected existent events and individuals. Some scenes person been fictionalised and adapted for melodramatic purposes.”

It is not a documentary and the storytelling and gait of a play means changes to the series of events.

For instance, successful the film, Prince Andrew is told Covid is to beryllium utilized arsenic a face-saving excuse for him not to beryllium astatine the precocious Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

In reality, Covid was so fixed arsenic an mentation for wherefore helium missed a Jubilee service.

But a period before, the Palace had been rather unfastened successful a property briefing that the prince would not beryllium connected the Buckingham Palace balcony arsenic helium was nary longer a moving royal.

The proposition of surreptitiousness works arsenic play - but successful reality, his exclusion was adjacent much publically brutal.

But specified almighty dramas tin person a wont of overwriting past - and Sheen’s show could alteration everlastingly however Prince Andrew volition beryllium remembered.

A Very Royal Scandal, Prime Video, broadcasts successful 3 episodes from 19 September