Has the royal soap opera lost the plot?

Beyond Today

BBC

News

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 November 2019

⏱️ 21 minutes

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Summary

Three days later and the fallout from Prince Andrew’s BBC interview keeps coming: today university students and a big accountancy firm are distancing themselves from the duke. Prince Andrew appeared on Newsnight to address controversy over his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But it backfired after critics called the interview a “car crash”. On the same weekend the other royal drama The Crown returned to TV screens after a two year break. In this episode we talk to the royal historian and advisor on the Netflix drama Robert Lacey, who has just published a book to go alongside the series. He tells us about Prince Andrew’s relationship with the Queen and how this all might play out on TV in the future. We also hear from the BBC’s royal correspondent Jonny Dymond Presenter: Tina Daheley Producers: Heidi Pett and Philly Beaumont Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.
0:06.6	Hello, I'm Gina Dehealey.
0:08.3	This is Beyond Today from BBC Radio 4,
0:10.9	where we ask one big question about one big story.
0:14.0	Today has the Royal Soap Opera lost the plot?
0:27.0	Last night a motion that I put forward through the student panel to lobby Prince Andrew to resign or be removed as the University Chancellor passed through our democratic process of student jury, meaning that it is now going to be made into student union policy.
0:45.0	That's Tristan Smith.
0:47.3	He's a student at the University of Hodersfield, where there's a growing movement from students to sever their uni's relationship with Prince Andrew.
0:56.0	I was actually told by one of the people who has worked at the student union for I believe 10 years
1:01.0	that it is the first time she's ever heard an idea presented to this panel get applause.
1:05.3	So clearly the mood of the students is overwhelmingly in favour.
1:09.1	Students there say they don't want a person like Prince Andrew showing up at their graduation ceremony.
1:15.6	Because of the relationship that he continued to have with convicted Peter
1:19.6	File Jeffrey Epstein staying at his house after he'd been released from prison and the
1:24.0	allegations that have been made against him the conduct that he has displayed regarding
1:28.4	the whole situation all of it cumulatively I think makes him inappropriate to be
1:32.0	our Chancellor.
1:33.0	It's not just students who are distancing themselves from the Royal, who's been described as toxic.
1:40.0	Today, bankers and insurance companies that sponsor the Prince's initiatives are also pulling out.
1:46.5	And it's all come to a head after the interview he gave to the BBC.
1:50.8	This interview has been exceptionally rare. You might not speak on this subject again.
1:55.9	Is there anything you feel has been left unsaid that you would like to say now? No, I don't think so. News Knight's Emily Maitless had just finished
	...

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