Prince Andrew has denied having sex with a teenager at the centre of the Jeffery Epstein scandal insisting he was at Pizza Express that evening.
Virgina Roberts claimed that the pair met at a London nightclub in 2001 before allegedly having sex with her when she was 17-year-old.
The Duke of York has denied the accusations and has claimed that he was in the pizza chain restaurant in Woking with his daughter Princess Beatrice - 31 miles away from the club, Mirror Online reports.
A photo, appearing to show Prince Andrew and his accuser, was shown during an explosive interview with the BBC’s Emily Maitlis, which was aired to millions on Saturday night.
The picture was taken inside the Belgravia home of billionaire convicted paedophile Jeffery Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.
He claimed to have no recollection of it.
Andrew also added that he had no regrets over his friendship with Epstein as it had “seriously beneficial outcomes”.
The Prince also maintained that despite being with Epstein on his private jet, on his private island, at his New York mansion and in Palm Beach, he never saw the tycoon do anything wrong nor “conduct himself in a manner unbecoming”.
Virginia Roberts, now 36 and a mum-of-three, also claimed that he has been “sweating profusely” as he danced in Tramp nightclub in London’s Mayfair.
It is also alleged that they had sex on a further two occasions.
But Andrew said: “There’s a slight problem with the sweating because I have a peculiar medical condition which is that I don’t sweat or I didn’t at the time.
“I didn’t sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenalin in the Falkland’s War when I was shot at and I simply... it was almost impossible for me to sweat.
“And it’s only because I have done a number of things in the recent past that I am starting to be able to do that again.
“So I’m afraid to say that there’s a medical condition that says that I didn’t do it.
"On that particular day that we now understand is the date, which is the 10th of March, I was at home, with the children and I’d taken Beatrice to Pizza Express in Woking for a party at 4pm or 5pm.
“And then, because the Duchess (of York) was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other one is there.
"I was on leave at the time from the Navy so was at home.”
Asked how he could remember exactly where he was, he replied: “Because going to Pizza Express in Woking is an unusual thing for me to do, very unusual. I’ve never been... I’ve only been to Woking a couple of times and I remember it weirdly distinctly.”
He also insisted he could not even remember having ever met Virginia.
Of the photo which appeared to show him with his arm round her, Andrew said: “I have absolutely no memory of that photograph ever being taken.
"From the investigations that we’ve done, you can’t prove whether or not that photograph is faked or not because it is a photograph of a photograph of a photograph.
“That’s me but whether that’s my hand or that’s the position... I have simply no recollection of the photograph ever being taken. I don’t remember going upstairs in the house.”
Asked if he regrets the friendship with Epstein, he said no – “the reason being that the people I met and the opportunities that I was given to learn either by him or because of him were actually very useful.”
The interview, filmed at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, was given the go-ahead by the Queen .
Speaking about staying at Epstein’s home in December 2010 – two years after the tycoon was convicted of procuring an underage girl for prostitution – Andrew said: “I went with the sole purpose of saying because he had been convicted, it was inappropriate for us to be seen together.
“I had to talk to him. We had an opportunity to go for a walk in the park and that was the conversation coincidentally that was photographed. By mutual agreement we decided we’d part company.
“I left, I think it was the next day, and never had any contact with him from that day forward.”.
Andrew had been pals with Epstein since being introduced by university pal Ghislaine Maxwell in 1999. Of staying with Epstein he added: “With hindsight, it was definitely wrong.
"But at the time I felt it was honourable and right and I admit my judgment was probably coloured by my tendency to be too honourable, but that’s the way it is.”
Asked explicitly if Virginia Roberts is a liar, he replied: “I can tell you categorically I don’t remember meeting her at all.
"I do not remember a photograph being taken and I’ve said consistently and frequently that we never had any sort of sexual contact whatever.”
Andrew appeared to suggest he would be willing to speak to US authorities, but also claimed he does not believe he can help them.
He said: “If I was in a position to answer these questions in a way that gave sensible answers I’d love it, but I’m afraid I can’t. I’m just as much in the dark as many people.”
The prince has always denied any inappropriate behaviour or being aware of perverted acts by Epstein, 66, who allegedly ran a sex ring of teenage girls.
Epstein was found hanged in his cell at the New York Metropolitan Correctional Centre in August while facing charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors for sex.
It is claimed British socialite Maxwell, 57, acted as a madam to Epstein while dating him. She denies grooming girls to be abused by him and has not been charged with any crime.
