A photo taken of Prince Andrew right before his notorious BBC interview with Newsnight may be hung in London’s National Portrait Gallery.
According to a report from the Daily Mail that was published on Saturday, August 24, the gallery announced one day prior that it will acquire a photo of Andrew, 64, with the show’s former news anchor Emily Maitlis.
Maitlis, 53, interviewed Andrew inside Buckingham Palace for Newsnight on November 14 2019 and the episode aired two days later. The photo captured Andrew walking alongside Maitlis as the pair engaged in conversation before sitting down to be filmed.
The report claimed that the gallery, which houses one of the largest collections of portraits in the world, aims to add the photo to its permanent collection after it was assessed by the gallery’s curators and “passed the first curatorial acquisitions meeting.”
Kate Middleton serves as a royal patron for the gallery but her role does not include or influence curatorial duties. The outlet added that “after six months of private talks,” gallery officials are expected “to make a final decision soon” however the gallery is currently without a chief curator and so delays were unavoidable.
The 2019 interview marked the first time Andrew publicly addressed his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in August 2019. The sit-down also saw Andrew address allegations made by Virginia Roberts Giuffre who claimed she was forced into multiple sexual encounters with Andrew when she was 17 years old.
Andrew’s answers, which failed to acknowledge the behavior of Epstein, were widely criticized for causing considerable damage to the royal family. Andrew also claimed he did not regret his relationship with Epstein.
Andrew stepped back from royal duties in November 2019 amid the scandal and permanently resigned from all public roles in May 2020.
A spokesperson for the National Portrait Gallery confirmed to The Times in an article published on Sunday, August 25, that the photo, snapped by acclaimed photographer Mark Harrison, was under consideration.
“The photograph has been offered to the Gallery as a gift by the photographer,” the spokesperson told the outlet, who added that the gallery’s objective is to “collect portraits of the people who have shaped British history and culture.”
Annually, the gallery attracts 1.6 million visitors through its doors. Its collection already includes many photos of the royal family including several baby and toddler portraits of Andrew that also feature his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The collection also includes a photo of Andrew posed alongside his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, as well as family portraits that include Andrew’s older brother King Charles III and his sister Princess Anne.
