Prince Andrew had 'gaps' in his diary and was allegedly unaccompanied for several hours in New York at a time when Virginia Roberts was in the US and said they had sex, a former aide has claimed today.

The Duke of York denied the alleged liaison with Jeffrey Epstein's 'slave' was possible because of his full itinerary while in the city as patron of the Outward Bound Trust in April 2001.

In his excruciating interview with the BBC's Emily Maitlis he appeared to squirm when asked about it but replied he was too busy working and said: 'I don't think that could have happened at all'.

But today a former aide on the US trip to the Big Apple and then Boston told the Telegraph there were gaps in his itinerary but was unsure if the duke met with Epstein.

The Court Circular - the royal family's official public diary - shows that he jetted into New York from London on the morning of April 9 2001, landing at around midday and had a free afternoon.

On the same day Roberts flew into a private airport near New York on Epstein's 'Lolita Express' private jet, which later flew to his US Virgin Islands hideaway, now nicknamed 'paedo island' because of the crimes committed there.

Prince Andrew on Thompson Island in Boston on April 11, 2001, during the Outward Bound trip to the United States one aide claims contained some free time in New York on April 9. Andrew told the BBC on Saturday that his packed diary made it impossible

Prince Andrew was seen again leaving his home in Windsor at 7.45am this morning but he has not spoken publicly since his widely-panned BBC interview

The duke denies meeting Virginia (together in 2001) and suggested this photo could be fake in his extraordinary and explosive BBC interview

Revealed: Andrew's movements on 2001 trip to New York and Boston where Epstein's slave claims they had sex April 9, 2001: Duke of York jets into New York from London landing around lunchtime and has no engagements that afternoon. Aide sat he was unaccompanied. On the same day Jeffrey Epstein's jet carrying his 'slave' Virginia Roberts lands at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, half an hour from Manhattan. The plane later flies on to Epstein's private island in the Caribbean but it is not known when. Royal aide has 'no idea' of Andrew met Epstein. April 10: Andrew has a full day of engagements with the Outward Bound Trust [OBT] before flying up to Boston in the evening. April 11: Duke jets back to New York and his staff all go back to London but he stays in the US. April 19: Duke starts tour of South Korea. It is not known if he flew there from America or from the UK. Advertisement

Andrew had nothing pencilled in for his first day in New York and the aide who briefed the Telegraph last night was asked if the duke went to meet Epstein and said: 'I've no idea'.

Andrew had a full diary of Outward Bound events in NYC on April 10 before he flew up to Boston that evening so prepare for events the following morning to meet school children.

That afternoon, on April 11, he flew back to New York where aides then transferred on to a flight back to the UK but the duke stayed in the US.

It is not known what he did for the eight days before he appeared in South Korea for an official engagement, including whether he flew to Seoul from the UK, the US or elsewhere.

Andrew was asked about whether he slept with Virginia on the New York trip and told Emily Maitlis on Saturday: 'I think that the date we have for that [the New York encounter] shows that I was in Boston or I was in New York the previous day and I was at a dinner for The Outward Bound Trust in New York and then I flew up to Boston the following day and then on the day that she says that this occurred, they'd already left to go to the island before I got back from Boston. So I don't think that could have happened at all.'

The Telegraph source said the Outward Bound trip had taken place 'a long time ago' and it was impossible to pinpoint his movements in New York, when he is accused of having sex with Virginia, then aged 17.

But the insider defended the duke and said they believe he wouldn't have slept with Roberts.

'The Duke is absolutely not capable of this Epstein is clearly horrible but I'm confident (of the Duke's innocence). It's inconceivable,' the source said.

MailOnline has asked Buckingham Palace to comment on the Telegraph's claims.

A spokesman said: 'The Duke's words in his interview speak for themselves', adding: 'It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.'

The Duke of York also contradicted a senior aide's account of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein in his TV interview with Emily Maitlis, it has emerged today.

Andrew told BBC Newsnight he first met the since-disgraced financier through 'his girlfriend back in 1999'.

But in March 2011, the duke's then-private secretary Alastair Watson, who spent nine years in the role, wrote to The Times newspaper saying Andrew met Epstein in the 'early 1990s'.

Major Watson, who was countering claims the duke was friends with Saif Gaddafi, wrote at the end of his letter: 'Finally, there has been widespread comment on the duke's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

'The duke has known Mr Epstein since being introduced to him in the early 1990s. The insinuations and innuendos that have been made in relation to the duke are without foundation.'

Pictured: Prince Andrew leaves Buckingham Palace on Tuesday (left) - the first time he has been seen since his BBC interview about his friendship with Epstein (right in his police mugshot this year) where he denied he ever met his 'slave' Virginia Roberts

Andrew was earlier seen leaving Windsor Castle for London - but sources close to the Queen insisted that he was not summoned by his mother

Andrew, pictured driving a Bentley followed by his security team in a Land Rover Discovery, as his trip to flood-hit South Yorkshire was scrapped. The Palace blamed electioneering up there but insiders contradicted this by claiming it was because of his BBC disaster

How Duke of York's annual meetings with Epstein including after he was sent to jail caused Prince Andrew decades of trouble Here is a timeline of the duke's relationship with Epstein. - 1999 Andrew first meets Epstein, reportedly introduced through his friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell. Andrew welcomes Epstein to the Queen's private Scottish retreat in Aberdeenshire. Andrew later says he sees Epstein 'infrequently', adding 'probably no more than only once or twice a year'. - 2000 Andrew and Ms Maxwell are seen on holiday with Epstein at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. Epstein and Ms Maxwell attend a party at Windsor Castle hosted by the Queen to mark Andrew's 40th birthday, the Princess Royal's 50th, the Queen Mother's 100th and Princess Margaret's 70th. - 2001 Virginia Roberts claims to have had sex with Andrew 'three times, including one orgy', with the first encounter allegedly taking place in Ms Maxwell's London townhouse. Ms Roberts claims to have had sex with Andrew on two more occasions, at Epstein's New York home and at an 'orgy' on his private island in the Caribbean. - 2008 Epstein admits prostituting minors and is sentenced to 18 months in prison. - 2010 Epstein is released from jail. Andrew is photographed with the disgraced Epstein in New York's Central Park. Footage emerges years later, reportedly shot on December 6 2010, showing him inside Epstein's Manhattan mansion, from where he is seen looking out from a large door of the property waving a woman goodbye after Epstein leaves to get into a chauffeur-driven car. - 2011 The duke quits his role as UK trade envoy after the fallout from the Central Park photos. - 2015 Buckingham Palace denies Andrew has committed any impropriety after he is named in US court documents related to Epstein. A woman, later named in reports as Ms Roberts, alleges in papers filed in Florida that she was forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17, which is under the age of consent in the state. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Andrew, in his first public engagement since he was embroiled in the allegations, responds, saying: 'Firstly I think I must, and want, for the record, to refer to the events that have taken place in the last few weeks. 'I just wish to reiterate, and to reaffirm, the statements that have already been made on my behalf by Buckingham Palace.' In April the claims against Andrew are struck from US civil court records following a federal judge's ruling. - 2019 Newly released legal documents show that Johanna Sjoberg, another alleged Epstein victim, claimed Andrew touched her breast while sitting on a couch inside the US billionaire's Manhattan apartment in 2001. Buckingham Palace said the allegations are 'categorically untrue'. Epstein is found dead in his jail cell on August 10, having killed himself after being charged with sex trafficking. Later that month a pilot on Epstein's private jet claims Andrew was a passenger on past flights with the financier and Ms Roberts. The Sun newspaper reported that David Rodgers said in a testimony released in August that Epstein, Andrew and the-then 17-year-old travelled to the US Virgin Islands on April 11 2001. Buckingham Palace describes the evidence statement as having 'a number of inconsistencies' and said that Andrew was on a different continent in some cases. Following Epstein's death, a statement from the palace says that Andrew is 'appalled by the recent reports of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged crimes'. Breaking his silence on the issue for the first time since 2015, Andrew then releases a statement on August 24 saying: 'At no stage during the limited time I spent with him (Epstein) did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction.' On November 16, the prince gave a 'disastrous' BBC interview in which he spoke about his friendship with Epstein and addressed allegations of his own sexual conduct. He faced a barrage of criticism following his television appearance, with the royal accused of a lack of empathy with Epstein's victims. During the interview, Andrew, questioned by Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis, twice stated his relationship with Epstein, who died in jail while facing sex trafficking charges, had some "seriously beneficial outcomes", giving him the opportunity to meet people and prepare for a future role as a trade envoy. The duke denied he slept with Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's victims, on three separate occasions, twice while she was underage, saying one encounter in 2001 did not happen as he spent the day with his daughter Princess Beatrice, taking her to Pizza Express in Woking for a party. The same alleged sexual liaison, which the American said began with the royal sweating heavily as they danced at London nightclub Tramp, was factually wrong as the duke said he had a medical condition at the time which meant he did not sweat. He cast doubt on the authenticity of a picture that appears to show Andrew with his arm around the waist of Mrs Giuffre, when a teenager. Advertisement

Prince Andrew has finally broken cover 72 hours after his BBC catastrophe as he was banished from royal duties and sent to sit behind a desk at his mother's house.

The Duke of York should have been meeting flood-hit communities in the north of England yesterday but instead he was diverted to Buckingham Palace as the backlash after his Newsnight special kept getting worse.

Sources close to the Queen denied she had summoned her son from Windsor for crisis talks amid the furore over his interview about convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

They insisted it was 'business as usual' for the beleaguered royal and they angrily hit back at media coverage of the debacle, saying the public 'traducing' of the prince was turning into a 'personality-motivated witch-hunt'.

But his visit to the flood-hit towns of Fishlake and Stainforth in South Yorkshire was called off as big businesses abandoned him because of his toxic links to Epstein and allegations he had sex with the paedophile's 'slave' Virginia Roberts when she was 17.

Public confidence in him is also on the rocks after a poll found just one in 20 people who watched the Newsnight special were convinced by his bizarre alibis including being in Pizza Express on the night Virginia claims they had sex in London.

MailOnline revealed last night that five multi-million pound businesses have cut ties with Prince Andrew's Dragons' Den-inspired charity Pitch@Palace after he was skewered by Emily Maitlis.

And it has emerged that his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who remains close to Andrew, was the 'driving force' behind the Royal's decision to conduct his disastrous TV interview that blew up in his face.

As the prince was put on desk duties, it has emerged:

Rumours that he is considering another interview after the first one went so badly;

Five big businesses including KPMG and Standard Chartered reveal they will no longer support Andrew's young entrepreneur's charity - and three universities have also dumped him;

And BT said it could no longer continue as partner with Duke of York's Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award (iDEA) scheme;

Andrew would be willing to co-operate with the US authorities investigating Epstein's crimes;

MailOnline reveals that Sarah Ferguson was instrumental in encouraging her ex-husband to do the BBC interview that went so badly;

Anger as Prince Andrew is mentioned in TV debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn;

Andrew was forced to cancel a visit to the flood-hit towns of Fishlake and Stainforth, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, yesterday. A source said his trip – which was not publicised in advance – was scrapped as a result of the fall-out from his BBC Newsnight interview.

But Buckingham Palace, while confirming that he had intended to quietly visit the area, denied this, saying it was due to electioneering in the region.

'The Duke was due to attend to offer his support and thanks to the emergency services but with an election campaign and a politician also visiting it was not appropriate for the visit to continue,' an official said.

Flood victim Pam Webb said she thought a visit by Andrew would not have been a good move as it would have detracted from the crisis.

She said: 'We would welcome a royal visit, but maybe not by him at this time. Efforts have to be focused on the flooding and what's happened here.'

Instead Andrew was spotted leaving his Windsor mansion, Royal Lodge, to drive himself into London in his £150,000 Bentley, yesterday morning.

He parked up in the palace forecourt and remained there during the day.

Sources close to the prince expressed their anger at the interview's coverage, particularly reports over how firms were now pulling their support from his initiatives such as Pitch@Palace, a scheme for entrepreneurs.

One royal insider said: 'If you want to hammer a man while he is down then go for it, but Pitch has done, and is continuing to do, an immense amount of good work.'

The source said both of the prince's initiatives, Pitch@Palace and digital awards scheme iDEA, had independent operating structures and had been built to 'weather any storms'.

But they also insisted that there were no plans for Andrew to step down as their figurehead.

'This is a witch-hunt and is, as far as anyone can see, one that is personality-motivated,' they said.

'If he had done something criminal then that would be one thing, but he hasn't. This is completely unfair and unbalanced.'

One source also reiterated that Andrew would be willing to co-operate with the US authorities investigating Epstein's crimes.

'He made clear in the interview that of course if anyone wants to ask him a question then of course he is going to answer it. It is ridiculous to think he wouldn't... but they haven't asked him yet,' they said.

The source also reiterated that Andrew would be willing to co-operate with the US authorities investigating Epstein's crimes.

'He made clear in the interview that of course if anyone wants to ask him a question then of course he is going to answer it. It is ridiculous to think he wouldn't... but they haven't asked him yet,' they said.

Five multi-million pound businesses have cut ties with Prince Andrew's Dragons' Den-inspired charity and three more are now considering dumping the crisis-hit royal after his car crash BBC interview, MailOnline can reveal today.

Advertising Week Europe, which has supported the Pitch@Palace project and was hailed as an official supporter by the prince, is the latest company to pull its backing for the beleaguered duke.

Bosses will not be inviting Andrew or his team to its four-day summit in London - one of the world's largest gatherings of advertising executives and experts being held in the capital next March.

A spokesman said: 'While our support for entrepreneurs remains just as strong, we can confirm that Pitch@Palace will not be held as part of Advertising Week Europe 2020'.

The future of Prince Andrew's pet project Pitch@Palace appears in jeopardy as yet major supporters pulled the plug and their financial support

These are the 35 businesses and that support his start -up project: Pitch@Palace but ten have now quit. 5 businesses: Advertising Week Europe, KPMG, Aon, Standard Chartered and Gravity Road and five academic institutions: Bond University in Queensland, Melbourne's RMIT, University of Wollongong, Murdoch University in Perth and Fondation Rideau Hall in Canada. Barclays, the Stelios Foundation and the Chinese Li Ka Shing Foundation are the only three to stand by him

Pitch@Palace's supporters page, which contained the logos of its 35 biggest funders, has been deleted as multi-million pound businesses wanted away

The 35 businesses that sponsor Andrew's charity - and the companies now pulling out after BBC disaster Cutting ties KPMG Standard Chartered Aon Gravity Road Advertising Week Europe Bond University Melbourne's RMIT University Fondation Rideau Hall University of Wollongong Murdoch University Standing by Andrew Stelios Foundation Barclays Li Ka Shing Foundation Considering position AstraZeneca Yet to respond Bosch Air Asia Bank of China JD.com Tencent Business Horizon International Group InMotion Arm China Construction bank Hult business school Royal Academy of Engineering Halkin Ventures IMB Bank Woodside Tamkeen The Chosunilbo Khalifa Fund Fieldhouse IX Advertisement

Andrew's former supporters are in full retreat today with the future of his charity for young entrepreneurs now looking precarious because of the Epstein scandal and damaging claims he had sex with his 17-year-old 'slave' Virginia Roberts three times.

Pitch@Palace has been forced to delete the webpage hailing its 35 key backers - and five big businesses: Advertising Week Europe, KPMG, Aon, Standard Chartered and Gravity Road say they will no longer be working with the charity.

It is now known how much this will cost the charity, but KPMG was paying them £100,000-a-year.

Two of Australia's most prestigious universities, Bond University in Queensland and Melbourne's RMIT University, also severed their ties with the controversial royal's charity today. Murdoch University and the University of Wollongong will also review their links.

There are also major doubts about whether the 189 leading charities and groups Andrew supports away from Pitch@Palace will all stand by him. London Metropolitan University is considering whether to sack him as a patron and the University of Huddersfield says it is 'listening' to students left raging over the decision to back him as their Chancellor.

Earlier yesterday Standard Chartered revealed to MailOnline that its bosses have decided they will not be renewing its sponsorship when it ends in February.

Pitch@Palace has lost five key sponsors and three more including AstraZeneca are formally considering whether to quit after his BBC disaster.

KPMG, one of London's big four accounting firms, was the first company to end its £100,000-a-year sponsorship last night in the face of 'adverse publicity'. Insurance giant Aon then asked for its name to be removed.

There are also major doubts over Andrew's links to 189 charities in the UK and abroad.

Andrew is a patron of the Outward Bound Trust [OBT] after he inherited the role from his father Prince Philip and the charity is holding a special meeting to discuss the issue later this week. The prince's daughter Beatrice is a trustee but will be excluded from taking part.

Prince Andrew was forced to cancel a visit to the flood-hit towns of Fishlake and Stainforth, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, yesterday

The University of Huddersfield is the only organisation to vocally back their Chancellor - but this has sparked insurrection among students who are lobbying Andrew to resign with a 'Not my Chancellor' campaign on campus and a major vote later this week.

Prince Andrew has no more public engagements this month Prince Andrew dropped a trip to Yorkshire to meet flood-hit families and has nothing published in his diary, it was revealed today. The Duke of York's weekly schedule is promoted on Facebook every seven days. But the last time this happened was on October 31 - and his last listed royal engagement was November 10. A spokesman refused to comment further on the empty diary but said: 'HRH's future engagements are announced weekly on social media by his team on his Facebook page.' The Queen is said to be privately backing her son with sources saying there is 'no question' that his royal role will be downgraded. But experts, including Prince Charles' former PR guru Dickie Arbiter, say that Andrew must 'step away' at least in the short term to protect the royal family. Advertisement

And London Metropolitan University told MailOnline this afternoon they will review whether to keep Andrew as a patron at its next Board of Governors meeting on Tuesday, November 26.

KPMG, one of London's big four accounting firms, was the first to admit it was protecting its reputation by ending its £100,000 a year sponsorship.

Insurance giant Aon asked for its name be removed from the scheme's website and drugs maker AstraZeneca said it was reviewing its relationship.

Children's charities and schools linked to Prince Andrew are also in disarray today as they distanced themselves from the under-fire royal.

A string of major companies and charities are also examining their links with Andrew after his extraordinary TV interview on Saturday.

Children North East and The Children's Foundation, both charities Andrew lists on his official website, refused to tell MailOnline if he will keep his official role supporting them in light of the Epstein scandal.

The Council of British International Schools [COBIS] praised the duke's work with them since 2011 but also refused to say if their link with the prince remains today.

Prince Andrew (pictured during his interview with Emily Maitlis on the BBC's Newsnight) is facing a furious backlash over his relationship with Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein's sex slave Virginia Roberts has filmed a BBC interview she will use to shatter Prince Andrew's denials they ever had sex when she was 17 as the royal's woes got worse today.

The 35-year-old, who calls the Duke of York her 'abuser', spoke to Panorama before he spoke publicly for the first time to say they never met or had sex - even suggesting the world-famous picture of them together in London in 2001 could have been faked.

A source close to Ms Roberts says she 'made no bones about her thoughts on the Duke's denial' during her sit-down with Panorama, in which she is said to demand he 'comes clean'.

But she is said to be irate that her own interview has not been shown amid suggestions it was held back to ensure Andrew's sit-down with Emily Maitlis wasn't jeopardised - but BBC insiders claim it will form a wider Epstein investigation that is not yet ready to broadcast.

US-born Ms Roberts, who now uses her married surname Giuffre, spoke to Panorama in the US three weeks ago - but may have to be interviewed again to respond to the duke's bizarre alibis including being in Pizza Express on the night she claims they had sex in London.

Andrew also denied he allegations he 'sweated profusely' during intercourse by claiming he couldn't perspire for more than 20 years after an adrenaline-rush while being shot at in the Falklands War.