It's hard to know quite what motivated the Duke of York to rescue teenage sex slaves in India at the same time he faced damning allegations that he had slept with one in America. But one thing is for certain: it definitely took guts. With a remarkable initiative combining the unlikely bedfellows of fashion and compassion, it can be revealed that Prince Andrew has personally changed the fate of more than 100 vulnerable young women in Calcutta. Rescued from brothels and domestic servitude, child labour and human trafficking, the girls have been taught tailoring and silk printing through a charity called Key to Freedom. Moved: Prince Andrew during his visit to an Indian refuge in 2012, which inspired him to form the charity . Their kimonos, duster coats, pyjamas, scarves and make-up bags are sold online and on the British High Street by Topshop, with the proceeds paid back to the women as a salary. What makes this new mission all the more compelling is it has emerged just months after Andrew was mired in allegations that he had enjoyed an improper relationship with American ‘sex slave’ Virginia Roberts, who had been working for his former friend Jeffrey Epstein, an American billionaire. The claims, furiously denied by the Duke, have now been struck out of American court records, effectively clearing his name. He was inspired to launch Key to Freedom after visiting a girls’ refuge on an official trip to India. He came up with the idea less than an hour after leaving a home run by the Women’s Interlink Foundation and swiftly donated £10,000 seed capital to fund the first bales of silk. Speaking exclusively to The Mail on Sunday yesterday, the Duke said: ‘I was incredibly impressed with the work of the Women’s Interlink Foundation during my Diamond Jubilee visit to India in May 2012. ‘I could see that it would be possible to complement [founder and chairman] Aloka Mitra’s important work in supporting vulnerable young women to develop a skill to become economically active by helping find a route to market for their products. It is incredible to see what the team has achieved. Roberts had been working for Andrew's former friend Jeffrey Epstein, an American billionaire (pictured together above) ‘I am proud to have helped their products find a market and be sold in the United Kingdom. ‘Most importantly, this has helped the Women’s Interlink Foundation support more young people to develop skills, which is an important area of focus for my work.’ One of the young women who moved him so deeply was Anita, now 19. She was chosen to show the Duke how to block-print silk when he visited the refuge. In return, he left two copies of Little Red’s Summer Adventure, a book written by his former wife Sarah. The child of two tea garden labourers from northern Bengal, Anita was abducted aged 12 when she went to a travelling fair with friends. Lured to New Delhi with the promise of a job to help her support her family, she escaped only to find herself living as a ‘railway child’ at the city’s station. Illiterate and destitute, she had no way home until she was taken in by the WIF where she met the Duke on his trip. She was among the first girls to sign up to Key to Freedom and has so far earned almost 40,000 rupees – approximately £430 – supplying silk goods to Topshop. She has also been reunited with her family near Darjeeling. ‘We traced her parents but they were resistant to her coming home because they believed she had been prostituted,’ revealed Aloka. ‘Once we had told them her real story and that she’d learned English and Bengali and maths, and that she had a craft and was earning a living, they changed their mind.’ Anita said: ‘I am doing well now and so is my mother. She was sick and I have been able to pay for medical treatment for her. ‘I have earned almost 40,000 rupees through Key to Freedom and I have a skill which will help my future. I hope I keep getting orders for my work. I hope it won’t stop.’ Prince Andrew’s 25-year-old daughter, Princess Eugenie, and his former wife Sarah, Duchess of York, have both paid private visits to help support the charity, and it is understood they continue to play an active role in promoting the initiative. The Duke’s eldest daughter Beatrice, 26, was recently criticised for taking as many as nine holidays in the space of just a few months, although she is understood to have recently accepted a job at a private equity firm in New York. Eugenie also works in the city for an online auction house. Other workers with Key to Freedom include Taralika, 25, who was taken prisoner in a red light area after running away from home. ‘She was locked up in a brothel and beaten, and then starved for days for refusing to have sex,’ said Aloka. Profits: About £20,000 from Topshop sales has gone to the charity since it was set up with products sold in their UK stores . ‘Finally she escaped and found refuge in a youth club whose leaders called the police. She was, and still remains, mentally disturbed by her ordeal but she’s making excellent progress. She is happy and confident working as a tailor.’ Another Key to Freedom success story is Shila, 21, an epilepsy sufferer who is so traumatised by her past that she has never been able to explain how she came to be on the streets of Calcutta. Aloka said: ‘She now has a bank account like any other working woman. It has totally changed her life. ‘Poverty makes these women victims. They suffer ills because they have little or no capacity to earn. They live with abuse – mental, physical and sexual – just to be certain of food and shelter. ‘The Duke understood that and wanted to make a difference – as the father of two daughters I think the plight of the girls here resonated with him. ‘He wanted to given them their independence. Handmade: A silk Topshop kimono . ‘There was no talk about a project or a donation at the time of his visit. The only thing he asked me was, “What do you think it will take to rehabilitate these girls?” ‘I spoke to him about alternative income earning, a regular outlet to sell their work, and skills development to make their craft more marketable. His aides called less than an hour after he’d left and set up a meeting the same night. ‘He had already spoken to the Duchess of York about us and she expressed her wish to help out in whatever way she could. The name Key to Freedom was her idea.’ Aloka added: ‘While I understood that their heart was in the right place, I also wondered whether busy people like them would find time to give it more thought. ‘Not only did they find the time, they were incredibly enthusiastic and remain so today. ‘It was Prince Andrew’s skills at connecting businesses that linked us to Topshop. It’s nothing short of a miracle for us to have a market in the UK.’ Aloka came to London for talks with the Duke’s team at Buckingham Palace just three months after their initial meeting, and by summer 2013 Key to Freedom was up and running. It fulfilled its first order to Topshop, every piece individually signed by the woman who made it, in July 2013. Since then approximately 4,300 items have been sold. Yesterday, the High Street giant, which sent designer Penny McIvor to India to assist with colours, patterns and quality control, confirmed the original deal for four collections had been extended to include at least one more later this year. Topshop declined to discuss sales figures, but it is understood around £20,000 has so far been paid by the company, which makes no profit from the scheme, to the Prince Andrew Charitable Foundation. This then sends the money back to Key to Freedom in Calcutta. In addition, the charity supplied 750 goodie bags for one of Prince Andrew’s Pitch@Palace events for entrepreneurs last month, where 200 of its scarves were also on sale. The scheme is another of his business-to-business initiatives uniting start-ups and entrepreneurs with angel investors, venture capitalists and mentors. A Buckingham Palace source said that the Prince remained very supportive of the project and used every opportunity – such as Pitch@Palace – to promote it. ‘It’s been completely empowering for the girls here,’ said Aloka. ‘It’s about honour and dignity, and having control over their own future. ‘It means they can look ahead and put their past behind them.’
Prince Andrew has changed the fate of 100 vulnerable women in Calcutta . They were rescued from brothels, child labour and trafficking by charity . Key to Freedom was launched by the Duke after a trip to India in 2012 . He recently denied allegations he had slept with a sex slave in America . The accusations, made by Virginia Roberts, have been struck from court records .