There have been two recent dramatizations of the 2019 bombshell Prince Andrew interview that ended up sending unintended shockwaves through the English monarchy, but one is so much better than the other, which is why I’m highly recommending, if you are interested in either, choosing A Very Royal Scandal on Prime Video instead of Scoop on Netflix.
There had been rumors for years about Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth’s second (and supposedly favorite) son’s friendship with convicted child rapist Jeffrey Epstein, but nobody had ever really pursued the story until 2019, when BBC’s Newsnight anchor Emily Maitlis landed a rare interview with the Duke of York, ostensibly arranged as a forum for him to publicly put to rest all the 
rumors and to apologize specifically to one victim in particular, who claimed the Prince had raped her. But what was hoped, at least by the Palace, to put rumors to bed, only served to fan the flames as Andrew’s disastrous performance in the interview led to his essential banishment from the Royal Family in one of the most scandalous turn of events in the history of the modern English Monarchy.
In Netflix’s movie version of the story, Scoop, which was released back in April, the focus of the story is on Newsnight booker Sam McAlister, played by Billie Piper, who landed the interview with Andrew, who is played in the movie by Rufus Sewell, and Maitlis is played by Gillian Anderson. The movie is mostly about the behind-the-scenes at the BBC and McAlister’s tenacity in getting the interview. Overall, it’s pretty bland.
But that may be because I watched it after I watched the three episodes of A Very Royal Scandal, which dropped today on Prime Video. There is absolutely no comparison. Granted, A Very Royal Scandal had longer to tell their story, but everything is so much better.
First of all, Michael Sheen plays the hell out of Prince Andrew. I know we’re not supposed to like Andrew, but how can you not when Michael Sheen is playing him. He is silly and naïve and rude and pompous and arrogant and all the best types of childish—and utterly useless. The royals are useless in the worst ways and yet we can’t stop watching them, why is that? Because sometimes they bring us people like Andrew, who just can’t stop getting in their own way. Sheen imbues Andrew with all his useless mediocrity, his false sense of heroism (hear him go on and on about his time fighting in the Falklands), his devotion to family even though his bad decisions have ruined his family’s lives. It’s just so entertaining to watch Sheen play in this sandbox, as an actor who masters drama, comedy and satire and melds them all at once into this buffoon who can’t understand why the world hates him when he’s Mummy’s favorite!
But everyone is so good, it’s not just Sheen. Maitlis is played by the always-good Ruth Wilson (I could have done without the voice effect, though), Joanna Scanlan is terrific as the Prince’s out-of-her-depth personal secretary, and Honor Swinton Byrne (Tilda’s daughter) brings the human touch as Andrew’s daughter Princess Beatrice.
There’s so much more of a rounded story told in these three episodes, you get Andrew’s story, you get the BBC and Emily’s story, and you certainly get much deeper into the Epstein story, although both stories make your skin crawl equally when you realize how many more men there are who still haven’t answered for their actions.
But still, if you are looking for three great hours about a real story with some great acting, A Very Royal Scandal is out today on Prime Video. Don’t miss it.