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The Yorks

Prince Andrew: I can’t have had sex with Virginia Roberts because I was at Pizza Express

The Duke of York has claimed that allegations made by Virginia Roberts that he had sex with her are false because he was at a Pizza Express restaurant at the time.

In a world exclusive interview with BBC Newsnight, Prince Andrew revealed the chronology of events of 10th March 2001 – the day Ms Roberts alleges she was forced to have sex with the Duke.

Ms Roberts claimed she met the Duke at London club Tramp before sleeping with him in Belgravia.

When this was put to him, Prince Andrew said: “That couldn’t have happened because the date being suggested — the 10th of March — I was at home with the children.

“I’d taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at about 4 or 5 in the afternoon.

“And then because the Duchess was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other is there.”

Interviewer Emily Maitlis asked the Duke how he could possibly remember something so specific from 18 years ago.

He replied: “Because going to Pizza Express in Woking is a very unusual thing for me to do.

“I’ve never been . . . I’ve only been to Woking a couple of times and I remember it weirdly distinctly. As soon as somebody reminded me of it, I went, ‘Oh yes I remember that’.”