Ugly truth about the royals and that trainwreck interview with Prince Andrew

Prince Andrew has decided to "step back" from the limelight and quit his royal duties. Photo / File

A journalist who had an "absolutely horrendous" interview with a royal has revealed what the family's big problem is.

Michael Usher spoke on Australian radio today after Prince Andrew's career-ending interview which aired on UK TV over the weekend, news.com.au reports.

He mentioned reports out of the UK that suggested Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson, encouraged her former husband to sit down for the "shocking" interview.

Prince Andrew's BBC interview has been disastrous for him. Photo / BBC

"When the possibility of this interview arose, Sarah felt that it could be the best way of clearing his name while presenting the public with a look at the real Andrew," a source told The Sun.

"She backs him to the hilt; and while this is unusual for a Prince to go on TV, she felt that these were exceptional times and unusual circumstances."

Fergie's involvement in the PR nightmare came as no surprise to Usher who interviewed the Duchess for 60 Minutes back in 2011.

"I interviewed her and it was the largest trainwreck interview I've ever done," he said on Australian radio station Triple M.

Usher blasted members of the royal family for thinking that they're "above scrutiny" in interviews.

Sarah Ferguson gave an interview in 2011 to Australian 60 Minutes journalist Michael Usher. Photo / YouTube

"They come into it so arrogantly thinking, 'No, no, no, we're above this, we're above scrutiny,'" he said, citing his interview with Fergie as an example.

"When you start drilling in and asking really pointed questions about toe sucking and selling out to the Saudis and tabloid journos and selling access to the royals, she [Fergie] walked on me three or four times, it was absolutely horrendous."

Usher accused Fergie of having a "split personality" and added, "They all walk in, 'I'm your best friend, I'm going to do it,' and then all of a sudden, 'What's this scrutiny thing? I've got to answer like real people?'"

In a bombshell announcement yesterday morning, Prince Andrew claimed to have independently decided to "step back" from the limelight and quit his royal duties amid the scandal of his controversial links to disgraced paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Prince Andrew appears on BBC Newsnight with Emily Maitlis with regard to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Photo/BBC

But royal sources have since painted a very different picture from behind the scenes.

The Queen may have ultimately made the tough call to force him out, but she certainly wasn't standing alone.

While physically absent from the high-level crisis talks on Wednesday, there was another figure who played a central role in deciding Prince Andrew's fate.

No doubt not only infuriated by the threat to the monarchy the scandal posed, but also the fact it was completely overshadowing his current royal tour of New Zealand, Prince Charles reportedly "lobbied intensely" for the Queen to strip Andrew of his duties, according to The Sun.

The Daily Mail reports that a devastated Andrew was then told he could write his own statement to allow him to "bow out gracefully" and try to save face.

"Charles was very involved in the decision as heir to the throne. He knew action had to be taken. The Duke knew he couldn't fight any more. His royal career is over," a senior palace source told The Sun.

Multiple UK outlets are reporting that Prince Andrew was hoping to ride out the storm, but after more than 20 major companies and charities distanced themselves from his work in recent days, he was given no choice by his family.