Virginia Giuffre, one of the most outspoken accusers of Mr Epstein, the disgraced American financier who killed himself in prison in 2019, accuses the Duke of York of sexually abusing her at Mr Epstein’s New York home and other locations in 2001.

Ms Giuffre has filed a civil case in New York, taking advantage of the state’s 2019 Child Victims Act, which extended the previously strict statute of limitations for civil actions involving child sexual abuse.

The court filing alleges that Prince Andrew engaged in sexual acts with Ms Giuffre without her consent while knowing that she was under 18 and that she was a victim of sex trafficking.

It continues: “In this country no person, whether president or prince, is above the law, and no person, no matter how powerless or vulnerable, can be deprived of the law’s protection.

“Twenty years ago Prince Andrew’s wealth, power, position, and connections enabled him to abuse a frightened, vulnerable child with no one there to protect her. It is long past the time for him to be held to account.”

Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations, telling the BBC in a notorious 2019 interview that he “can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened”.