Indian sex workers rebuilding their lives after years of exploitation will see their handicrafts sold in the UK following a Duke of York initiative.

Hand printed scarves made by the women and girls will go on sale later this week at Topshop stores in London priced £32.

When Andrew met some of the vulnerable group during his Diamond Jubilee tour of India last year he was moved to help and, with his family, established Key to Freedom, an organisation which finds markets for the women's goods.

The young women have all been exposed since childhood to domestic abuse and in most cases been trafficked into the sex trade.

But they have been helped by the Women's Interlink Foundation (WIF) which rescued many from red light areas in West Bengal and then turned their lives around by teaching them a skill or helping them return to education.

Making the scarves provides the women with a living wage and any profits will allow the Foundation to fund other projects.

During his trip to India in April and May last year Andrew met WIF's founder Aloka Mitra and some of the young women and girls she has helped.

The Duke's family became involved in the project, with his former wife Sarah, the Duchess of York naming Key to Freedom, and his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, both supporting the initiative by buying scarves.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "When he met some of these young women, the Duke was moved by their personal stories and inspired by their creative talent.

"He's proud to have played a small part in opening up a British market for the scarves, but believes the real credit must go to the women themselves."