‘A Very Royal Scandal’ Cast vs. Their Real-Life Counterparts | Photos
Prince Andrew’s infamous “Newsnight” interview is heading back to screens in “A Very Royal Scandal.” The Prime Video series chronicles how the reporters and producers at the BBC program scored the explosive interview, as well as Prince Andrew and his immediate family’s perspective.
If that sounds familiar — well, Netflix just made a pretty similar movie, “Scoop,” earlier this year. However, with three hour-long episodes, “A Very Royal Scandal” has more time to delve into the lead-up to the interview and, especially, the fallout afterward. It certainly spends more time with the royal family, and it’s got the backing of interviewer Emily Maitlis herself, who produced based on her 2019 book “Airhead: The Imperfect Art of Making News.”
And of course, it’s got a whole new cast of celebrated British actors playing the real-life royals and BBC journos. Check out a handy guide to the “A Very Royal Scandal” cast and their real-world counterparts below.
Ruth Wilson as Emily Maitlis
Ruth Wilson plays Emily Maitlis, the former “Newsnight” journalist known for her incisive interviews, who conducted the 2019 interview with Prince Andrew about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein at the center of “A Very Royal Scandal.” After leaving the BBC in 2021, she now co-hosts The News Agents podcast. She was also recently portrayed by Gillian Anderson in Netflix’s “Scoop.”
Golden Globe winner and three-time BAFTA nominee Ruth Wilson is best known for “The Affair,” “Luther,” “His Dark Materials,” “I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House” and “Saving Mr. Banks.”
Michael Sheen as Prince Andrew
Michael Sheen plays the disgraced Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who came under the spotlight for his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, leading to his withdrawal from public duties after his disastrous “Newsnight” interview. Prince Andrew is a member of the British royal family and the third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He was portrayed by Rufus Sewell in “Scoop.”
Sheen is an Emmy, BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominated actor who’s played several real-life figures, including Tony Blair (“The Queen”), David Frost (“Frost/Nixon”) and Chris Tarrant (“Quiz”). He’s also known for playing Lucien in the “Underworld” films and Aro in the “Twilight” films, as well as “Masters of Sex,” “The Good Fight” and “The Sandman.”
Claire Rushbrook as Sarah Ferguson
Claire Rushbrook plays Sarah Ferguson, also called Fergie, the Duchess of York and Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, and an author, philanthropist, television personality.
Rushbrook is best known for “Secrets & Lies,” “My Mad Fat Diary,” “Whitechapel,” “Sherwood” and “Home Fires.”
Honor Swinton Byrne as Princess Beatrice
Honor Swinton Byrne plays Princess Beatrice, the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and is Vice President of Partnerships and Strategy at data and software company Afiniti.
Swinton Byrne is best known for her performance as Julie in “The Souvenir” and “The Souvenir: Part II.” Her credits also include “The Crown,” “I Am Love” and “Drift. She’s also the daughter of actress Tilda Swinton and playwright John Byrne.
Sofia Oxenham as Princess Eugenie
Sofia Oxenham plays Princess Eugenie, the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.
Oxenham just earned a BAFTA nominee for her performance in “Extraordinary” and is also known for “Poldark,” “Dracula” and “Cursed.”
John Hopkins as Jeffrey Epstein
John Hopkins plays Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier and convicted sex offender, arrested on federal sex trafficking charges, who gained notoriety for his criminal activities, wealth and connections to powerful people — including Prince Andrew. He remains a figure of intense public interest after he was found dead in his jail cell in 2019.
Hopkins credits include “Midsummer Murders,” “Poldark” and “Catastrophe,” as well as a host of video game credits, including Erend in the “Horizon” franchise and Lucas Grey in the “Hitman” games.
Joanna Scanlan as Amanda Thirsk
Joanna Scanlan plays Amanda Thirsk, Prince Andrew’s former private secretary, managed his official dutie and played a key role in arranging the disastrous “Newsnight” interview.
Scanlan is a BAFTA-winning actress best known for “After Love,” “Getting On,” “The Thick of It,” “Notes on a Scandal” and “Wicket Little Letters.”
Clare Calbraith as Sam McAlister
Clare Calbraith plays journalist and barrister Sam McAlister, who produced the Prince Andrew “Newsnight” interview. Netflix’s “Scoop,” also released this year, told the story of the interview from her perspective as a crucial but under-credited player in securing the interview, starring Billie Piper in the role. She told her story in the book “Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews,” which was the inspiration for the Netflix film, and as of 2024, she’s a Visiting Senior Fellow in Practice at LSE Law School.
Calbraith is best known for “Grace,” “Tell Me Everything,” “The Family Pile,” “The Jetty” and “Unforgotten.”
Lydia Leonard as Esme Wren
Lydia Leonard plays BAFTA-winning journalist and producer Esme Wren, who also produced Newsnight’s Prince Andrew interview. Before joining the BBC, Wren spent 12 years at Sky News, and after leaving Newsnight in 2021, she’s been an editor at Channel 4 since.
Leonard’s credits include “The Crown,” “We Are Lady Parts,” “Last Christmas,” “Gentleman Jack” and “Absentia,” as well as providing the voice of Lana Beniko is several “Star Wars” video games.
éanna Hardwicke as Stewart Maclean
éanna Hardwicke plays journalist Stewart Maclean, who was a Deputy Editor at “Newsnight” during the Prince Andrew interview, and became the Editor after. He left that position not too long after, taking the role of BBC’s Africa Bureau Chief in 2023.
Hardwicke is best known for “Vivarium,” “Fate: The Winx Saga,” “Lakelands,” “Smother” and “Normal People.”
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