There is a German saying which translates as, “All bad things come in threes.” It is one Prince Andrew may well be uttering under his breath this weekend, with reports that the disgraced British royal is to the be the subject of yet another feature-length profile piece.
Andrew is already the central subject of two rival dramas, both inspired by his disastrous interview with the BBC’s Newsnight team in 2019, in which he attempted to restore his reputation but succeeded in only making things worse as he reflected without apology on his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. “I was too honourable,” was just one misguided comment that inspired his mother, the now late Queen Elizabeth II, to announce speedily that his royal highness title would no longer be used, and he would no longer be seen on public royal duty.
Netflix’s version of the debacle, Scoop, finished filming last year, while Prime Video’s A Very Royal Scandal is nearly complete.
Now, the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper reports that Sandpaper Films production company is preparing a documentary exploring Andrew’s narrative arc from 1980s war hero, when he flew decoy helicopters for the British Royal Navy in the Falkland Islands conflict, to convicted sex trafficker’s associate.
Sandpaper Films has previously worked with Netflix, Apple and Amazon, and has to its name several films about the British royal family, including the 2017 documentary, Diana: 7 Days, looking at the last week of the life of the Princess of Wales. Author Andrew Lownie, who has previously penned biographies of controversial royal figures Lord Louis Mountbatten and the king who abdicated in 1936 and became the Duke of Windsor, is reported to have been recruited to the production as consultant.
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