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Emily Maitlis has suggested that Princess Beatrice’s planned wedding next year could have played a hand in the BBC’s interview with Prince Andrew. Maitlis also discussed how her extraordinary interview with Prince Andrew took around a year to set up. The interview - dubbed Prince Andrew & the Epstein Scandal - will air on BBC Newsnight later tonight, marking the first time Prince Andrew speaks publicly about his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

In the interview, Prince Andrew, who strongly denies claims that he had sex with Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre (nee Roberts), has said he regrets staying with Epstein but believed it was the “honourable” thing to do at the time. Prince Andrew described it as a “convenient place to stay”. He told Emily Maitlis: “I’ve gone through this in my mind so many times but at the end of the day with the benefit of all the hindsight that one can have it was definitely the wrong thing to do but at the time I felt it was the honourable and right thing to do. “I admit fully my judgment was probably coloured by my tendency to be too honourable but that’s just the way it is.” JUST IN: Freak blizzard to strike UK after deadly snowstorm submerges France

Princess Beatrice’s planned wedding next year could have played a hand in the BBC’s interview

Prince Andrew wanted to draw a line under the Jeffery Epstein scandal before his daughter’s wedding

Prince Andrew added that he had “no recollection” of ever meeting Virginia Giuffre, the woman who claims to have been coerced into having sex with the royal by Epstein. Speaking about the interview on BBC News this morning, Maitlis said the BBC's talks with the Palace had intensified following Epstein's death in a New York prison in August. She discussed her shock at how “raw and visceral” Prince Andrew was during the interview Maitlis also revealed that the Queen personally signed off on the Prince Andrew interview with the BBC earlier this week.

Prince Andrew may have agreed to the interview this week, in order to draw a line under the scandal before “his daughter’s wedding next year”

She mentioned that the Prince had to seek the approval form the Queen herself and that "she gave sign off either late on Monday or very early on Tuesday". The BBC journalist revealed the first question she put to Prince Andrew in the interview was why he decided to do an interview now. Maitlis hinted that the Prince Andrew may have agreed to the interview this week, in order to draw a line under the scandal before “his daughter’s wedding next year”. DON'T MISS: Boris lashes out at the EU's budget ploy to hike up UK payments [VIDEO]

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The BBC journalist revealed the first question she put to Prince Andrew in the interview

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