Amazon Prime’s New Show With Michael Sheen Comes For The Crown’s Success

Summary:

• For many years after The Crown ’s premiere, the show was considered the best look at British royalty.
• However, with the premiere of season 6 and the coverage of Princess Diana's tragic death, Netflix quickly began to lose that position.
• Now, Amazon Prime has a chance to steal the honor by doing justice to the story of Prince Andrew's most scandalous interview in a new series, A Very Royal Scandal.

As if there hadn't been enough talk about the royal TV series lately, Amazon Prime Video has decided to weigh in with its own take on one of the biggest scandals. And any viewers recently disappointed by The Crown's controversial approach to the sensitive subject of Princess Diana's death are ready to turn their attention to something new.

As announced on Monday, November 20, Amazon Prime is expanding its Scandal series with A Very Royal Scandal. The TV series will be based on the most scandalous interview a member of the Royal Family has ever participated in.

A Very Royal Scandal will be the latest addition to Amazon Prime's Scandal series, which already includes A Very English Scandal, starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw, and A Very British Scandal, starring Claire Foy and Paul Bettany. It was only fair for the streamer to reach new heights and explore the top of British society.

This time, Michael Sheen stars as Prince Andrew and Ruth Wilson as Emily Maitlis. Both stars are well known for their television performances. Most recently, Michael Sheen stunned Amazon Prime viewers with his portrayal of Aziraphale in the second season of Good Omens, while Ruth Wilson is best known as Luther's Alice Morgan.

Prince Andrew vs. Emily Maitlis In Real Life

The interview in question was conducted by one of the BBC's star reporters, Emily Maitlis, in 2019. It was later deemed disastrous and caused the prince to take a step back from his public work in disgrace. However, the journalist later issued a statement that it was never her intention to ruin the prince as a public figure.

“Whenever the BBC and the royals meet, someone always gets fired. I didn't think it would be him. He lost a lot from doing that interview. My intention was not to ruin his life. That was not on my radar,” Maitlis said to Vanity Fair.

The interview was considered scandalous as it focused on Prince Andrew's relationship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and the allegations that were held against him at the time. Although Prince Andrew denied them all, his public image never recovered.

The audience may never know the whole truth of what exactly happened on the day of the interview and how it really affected both the prince and the reporter. However, it would be very intriguing to peek behind the usually closed doors and learn something new.

Production on A Very Royal Scandal is already underway in the U.K., so keep an eye out for more news and behind-the-scenes updates if you are looking for a fresh take on British royalty.

Source: Variety, Vanity Fair