Police have defended the decision not to pursue a full investigation of the allegations made against Prince Andrew.

Virginia Roberts-Giuffre says she was trafficked by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegedly had sex with Prince Andrew in 2001 when she was 17 years old.

The prince has repeatedly denied he had “any form of sexual contact or relationship” with Mrs Roberts-Giuffre, adding “any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation”.

Met Police Commander Alex Murray said in July 2015 the force confirmed it had received an allegation of non-recent trafficking for sexual exploitation made against a US national, Jeffrey Epstein, and a British woman.

He said the allegation related to events which took place outside of the UK as well as an allegation of trafficking to London in March 2001.

Mr Murray said: “The MPS always takes any allegations concerning sexual exploitation seriously.

“Officers assessed the available evidence, interviewed the complainant and obtained early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.”

He added: “Following the legal advice, it was clear that any investigation into human trafficking would be largely focused on activities and relationships outside the UK.

“We therefore concluded that the MPS was not the appropriate authority to conduct enquiries in these circumstances and, in November 2016, a decision was made that this matter would not proceed to a full criminal investigation.”

After Epstein died in August, Mr Murray said the MPS reviewed the decision making and added its position remains unchanged.

He said: “The MPS has liaised with other law enforcement organisations but has not received a formal request asking for assistance in connection with this allegation.”

The Duke of York spoke to BBC Newsnight after Mrs Roberts-Giuffre gave a detailed interview to NBC.

His responses in the interview were widely criticised, with many companies who had an association with his charity projects withdrawing their support.

Within a week, Prince Andrew released a statement confirming that he would be stepping back from his public duties.

The police defending their decision comes as BBC Panorama released a trailer ahead of its interview with Mrs Roberts-Giuffre expected to air on Monday.

In the clip, she said: “He knows what happened, I know what happened and there’s only one of us telling the truth.”

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