A Woking restaurant once the centre of international media attention is back in the spotlight.

Ever since the former Prince Andrew’s infamous Newsnight interview in 2019, the town’s Pizza Express outlet on Goldsworth Road has symbolised the scandal that brought him down.

Now it has emerged that Pizza Express held an internal inquiry into whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had visited its restaurant in Woking.

The former prince claimed in the 2019 Newsnight interview he had been at the branch on the day he was alleged to have slept with Virginia Giuffre, one of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's victims.

In his Newsnight interview, Andrew said he had “no recollection” of meeting Virginia Giuffre and claimed he had been at Pizza Express in Woking with his daughter.

BBC Newsnight reports that it has discovered the pizza chain investigated the claim and found no evidence that he had, or had not, been there.

The broadcaster’s own research found no record of anyone seeing him there on the night in 2001.

According to Newsnight, the senior management team of Pizza Express investigated Mountbatten-Windsor's claim in their belief it was a matter of public interest.

An internal inquiry involved looking for records from that time period, none of which could be found, and trying to talk to past members of staff and local management.

In his Newsnight interview, Mountbatten-Windsor said he had taken his daughter Princess Beatrice to a party at Pizza Express at "4pm or 5pm in the afternoon" on that day before spending the night at home.

Newsnight also revealed that, although the great majority of the interview was broadcast, a small amount of material was not included.

This had included Mountbatten-Windsor talking in more detail about Pizza Express, including a claim that his staff had looked at a diary to find out more information.

Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently and strenuously denied any wrongdoing.