SHAKE ON IT: Fergie agrees her shady deal with our man at his plush Mayfair apartment

The Duchess of York is "devastated" and "regretful" after newspaper claims she offered to sell access to ex-husband Prince Andrew, her spokeswoman says.

The News of the World said Sarah Ferguson was recorded by an undercover reporter posing as a businessman. She appears to accept $40,000 in cash.

The paper says the prince - a UK trade envoy - knew nothing about the alleged £500,000 ($723,000) deal.

The spokeswoman told PA the duchess regrets the incident.

According to the video soundtrack, the 50-year-old duchess tells the undercover reporter "£500,000 when you can, to me... open doors".

She also says the cash would "open up all the channels whatever you need, whatever you want, and then that's what and then you meet Andrew and that's fine.

"And that's, that's when you really open up whatever you want."