Emily Maitlis 'continues to feel a responsibility' towards Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie

The interview discussed the Duke of York's friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which was met with widespread public backlash.

Shortly after the interview aired, Prince Andrew announced he would be formally stepping down from his official duties as a member of the Royal Family.

Prince Andrew has always strongly denied any wrongdoing and does not recall meeting Virginia Giuffre, a victim of Epstein's trafficking who claims she was also abused by the royal.

Maitlis has since executively produced an Amazon Prime series about the interview, titled A Very Royal Scandal, due to drop on the streaming platform on September 19.

Writing about her experiences on set, Maitlis shared her conversations with Jeremy Brock, the scriptwriter, and how she considered Andrew's two daughters, Princess Beatrice, 36, and Princess Eugenie, 34, during the process.

Maitlis wrote: "I wanted to help Brock tell a story rich in complexity. The clash of a newsroom culture and a royal culture.

"Questions of what journalism can achieve, but also of its limitations.

"I wanted us to talk about the women who were such a big part of this story — Epstein’s victims, and whether Andrew had even been aware of them, but also the women closer to home, his daughters, his adviser, Thirsk, and my responsibility to them too."

Continuing to write in The Times, Maitlis added: "I wanted the drama to reflect something that we had all felt — the sense of unfinished business.

"A story that had not, in truth, yet given us its ending."

Princess Beatrice famously played a large role in the Newsnight interview coming to fruition, as previously confirmed by Maitlis and BBC producer Sam McAlister.

Writing in Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews, McAlister said: "Suddenly, [Prince Andrew] appeared, from around the corner of the short corridor: ‘Morning!’ His voice was upbeat. He was smiling. He seemed friendly.

"‘I hope you don’t mind, but I brought someone with me!’ This was not something that any of us had expected to hear. We exchanged glances. Who could it be? A lawyer? Someone else in communications? Maybe someone from the Queen’s staff?

"And then, from behind him, Princess Beatrice appeared."

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She continued: "To be frank, the only thing worse than speaking to a prospective interviewee about allegations of sexual impropriety, paedophilia and sex with a seventeen-year-old girl is having to do so in front of his daughter.

"Princess Beatrice was polite and engaged, carrying a notebook and pen, but she was evidently anxious about the meeting, unlike her father. The atmosphere palpably changed for us all."

McAlister added: "Princess Beatrice was a total curveball. I had heard she was close to the Queen, who might well ask for her opinion on the meeting, and also knew that she was very close to her father and was clearly there to protect his interests and to ensure that we were the right people to speak to.

"The Prince’s eldest daughter was now, in my opinion, the person who could make the difference between us getting the interview and someone else."