Emily Maitlis is set to front a new Channel 4 documentary series, The Epstein Files, seven years after her landmark Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew about his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein

An adult female with blonde hair is standing behind a podium and speaking into a microphone. She is wearing a black blazer and has her hand raised. Behind her is a backdrop with a red and white design.

Journalist Emily Maitlis rehearsing ahead of delivering the 2022 MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival(Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

Emily Maitlis has pledged to “get the answers” with a forthcoming documentary examining the Epstein Files. The Channel 4 programme arrives seven years after Maitlis led the notorious Newsnight interview with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor regarding his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The documentary, provisionally titled The Epstein Files, will include first-hand accounts from survivors of the financier’s “decades-long criminal operation”, alongside “forensic analysis of the documents, networks and powerful individuals” linked to the case, according to Channel 4.

Maitlis stated: “I’ve spent my career covering stories that those in power would rather we didn’t. The Epstein case is that story writ large – a web of wealth, influence and impunity that destroyed lives and was shielded by institutions we are supposed to trust.”

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OPINION

Author avatarBen Borland

The former Newsnight presenter continued: “The survivors have waited long enough. I am determined that this series will provide answers, not just raise more questions.”

In 2019, Maitlis and Newsnight interviewed the then-Prince Andrew about his connections to Epstein. The royal became acquainted with Epstein through Ghislaine Maxwell, a friend of Andrew and Epstein’s girlfriend.

An adult male in formal attire, possibly engaged in a formal presentation or discussion, gestures with his hands while looking forward. The background suggests an indoor setting with architectural details.

Andrew speaking for the first time about his links to Jeffrey Epstein in an interview with BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis(Image: BBC)

Throughout their relationship, Andrew, Epstein and Maxwell were spotted together at various locations, including Balmoral, Windsor Castle and Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Their association persisted even following Epstein’s conviction for procuring minors for prostitution, reports the Mirror.

Virginia Giuffre subsequently alleged that Andrew sexually assaulted her at Maxwell’s Belgravia residence and on separate occasions at both Epstein’s New York property and on his private Caribbean island, while she was merely 17. Andrew has categorically refuted these claims.

Maitlis’ conversation with Andrew came after Epstein’s detention on sex trafficking charges. During the discussion, Andrew maintained it was a “stretch” to describe them as “close friends” and insisted he had no awareness of Epstein’s criminal activities. He asserted he was unaware that police were investigating Epstein when he received an invitation to Princess Beatrice’s 18th birthday celebration in 2006.

An individual with short, blonde hair, dressed in a brown, long-sleeved top, is engaged in a conversation with another person wearing a black suit. They appear to be in a formal setting, possibly an office or a meeting room.

The Newsnight interview special by Emily Maitlis was one of the biggest TV sensations of the century(Image: BBC)

Andrew further stated he only visited Epstein in New York in 2010, after his prison release, to inform the financier that they could no longer be publicly associated. He acknowledged staying at the Manhattan townhouse in December 2010 and attending a dinner party there after Epstein’s discharge from custody.

Responding to Giuffre’s accusations, he stated: “I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.” He refuted encountering her at Tramp Nightclub, asserting he was at home with his children that day. He maintained that he recalled the date particularly because he was at a Pizza Express in Woking that day.

Following the broadcast of the interview, Andrew withdrew from public duties “for the foreseeable future”. The interview subsequently inspired two dramatisations, with one being executive produced by Maitlis herself.

Since then, Andrew has been stripped of his royal titles and was recently arrested for misconduct while in a public office after the publication of the Epstein Files. He maintains his denial of any wrongdoing.