The Duke of York stayed at the home of a fashion tycoon accused of raping teenagers as young as 14, it was claimed last night.

Peter Nygard, 77, allegedly lured the girls to his Bahamas estate promising he could make them models before plying them with alcohol and drugs and then forcing them to perform sex acts.

The billionaire is accused of targeting 10 young women between 2008-15, according to a lawsuit filed by the alleged victims in New York. The Duke of York is understood to have stayed at Mr Nygard's mansion with his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, in June 2000.

There is no evidence that the Duke knew anything about Mr Nygard's alleged activities.

The Duke has faced intense scrutiny over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender.