Spare a thought for Emily Maitlis, the former BBC broadcaster turned Global podcaster. The News Agents presenter was in Davos this week with her co-host, Jon Sopel, where they quizzed Keir Starmer on Brexit, trust in the police, and whether he’d rather sit next to Piers Morgan or Jeremy Corbyn at an Arsenal match (answer, FYI: Morgan).
Also in attendance at the World Economic Forum was Princess Eugenie. Yep – the daughter of Prince Andrew. Maitlis, you might recall, was the journalist who conducted Prince Andrew’s cringeworthy 2019 interview with Newsnight – a broadcast that shattered his reputation and led to his ostracisation from The Firm.
As potential awkward encounters go, a Maitlis-Eugenie meeting would have been right up there. So, how did Maitlis handle the situation? “It was a really weird moment of diplomacy when there was actually somebody shuttling between the two of us,” she recalled on the podcast. “The go-between came up and said: ‘It’s OK. She knows you’re here. And you know she’s there. And I think for everyone’s sake – just don’t meet. Just don’t say anything. Don’t stand next to her or anything.’ And I was like: ‘Right. Righto.’ So we stayed apart. There were enough other interesting people in that room.”
Shame. The Chatterer would have enjoyed the thought of Pizza Express in Woking being a topic for discussion on one of the world’s grandest stages.
[See also: Keir Starmer defends Brexit at Davos]
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