Symbol of Prince Andrew’s disgrace set to be snapped up by showpiece national gallery… as it could be put on display for millions of visitors to see

Prince Andrew faces extraordinary public humiliation if the National Portrait Gallery seeks to acquire a photograph of his fateful Newsnight interview.

That could mean millions of viewers will be able to watch the recording of what is widely regarded as the most disastrous interview in royal history, in which the BBC’s Emily Maitlis questioned the Duke of York about allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

Because he failed to apologize for his friendship with billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, he was stripped of his royal title and duties.

The gallery – a public institution affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport – announced last night that it wants to add the statue to its permanent collection.

The photo captures the moment after the interrogation when the Duke naively declared to his interrogator: “That went well, didn’t it?” as they walked together through Buckingham Palace.

Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts Giuffre, 17, pictured together at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London townhouse on March 13, 2001

Virginia Roberts Giuffre speaks to the press outside a Manhattan courthouse in 2019 following the death of Jeffrey Epstein in his cell

The late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew watch a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour, the Queen’s annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell pictured together in New York in 2005

Royal commentator Margaret Holder said displaying the statue would be a “symbol of his shame” [and] of his downfall as the son of a prince, as the brother of a prince, and as a father’.

The gallery’s royal patron is the Princess of Wales, but she has no say in which works are added to the gallery’s collection. After six months of private discussions, gallery chiefs are expected to make a final decision soon. But sources said a verdict has been delayed until a new chief curator is appointed.

The photo was first considered by the gallery’s curatorial team after photographer Mark Harrison made him an offer. He already has photos of it.

The ‘first curatorial acquisitions meeting’ was approved, which according to the gallery’s website means the gallery ‘believes an offer should be made for acquisition’.

A print is delivered to the gallery for viewing, after which a second curatorial meeting is held to discuss the acquisition and the board makes the final decision.

Emily Maitlis during the controversial interview with the Duke of York about his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein

Prince Andrew pictured with his wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and their daughters Beatrice and Eugenie

The board is appointed by the Prime Minister and includes David Ross, co-founder of Carphone Warehouse, historian Simon Sebag-Montefiore and artist Jonathan Yeo, who painted the first official portrait of King Charles since his coronation.

The gallery, which welcomes more than 1.6 million visitors a year, says it is the “national museum responsible for the history of British portraiture. Its mission is to maintain a collection of portraits of the most eminent individuals in British history.”

Gallery sources said no decision has been made yet on the public display of the photo, but all acquisitions will automatically be displayed on the website.

It follows reports that the Duke will be forced to leave Royal Lodge after the King refused to pay security costs, believed to be £3 million a year. Ms Holder said the acquisition of a photograph linked to ‘a pivotal moment’ in the Duke’s ‘downfall’ could cause embarrassment to the Princess of Wales.

She added: ‘I would ask the gallery to consider whether they actually want to create problems for their customers.’

She also said the takeover was a “further humiliation for Prince Andrew at a time when there has been a lot of media attention about the King wanting him out of the Royal Lodge”.

The Duke of York as he hosted a Pitch@Palace event at Buckingham Palace in London in June 2019

Virginia Roberts Giuffre speaks with Savannah Guthrie, along with several other women, on the Dateline NBC show Reckoning on the evening of September 20, 2019

Prince Andrew leaves Chinawhite nightclub in London on July 28, 2000

Royal biographer Hugo Vickers told The Mail on Sunday that he had no problem with the gallery’s purchase of the painting, but that there were concerns about whether the painting should be put on public display.

He said: ‘The Newsnight interview was an iconic interview – my instinct would be to acquire it and then put it in the library. They don’t have to display it, they can just keep it. But in a hundred years’ time it may turn out to be particularly interesting for some reason.’

Last night, Mr Harrison said he was surprised that anyone knew about his conversations with the gallery, which he said had taken place “over the last six months”.

Andrew Lownie, who is working on a biography of Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York, said the gallery should acquire the statue.

He said: ‘I’m sure Prince Andrew won’t be happy about this because the interview wasn’t his finest hour. But the interview and the photo are a piece of history.

“This is an iconic image and should be in the collection. The gallery’s job is to capture images and history and this photo is part of that.”