Sarah Ferguson is said to have privately dismissed claims she had a long-running "friends with benefits" relationship with disgraced rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs as "fabricated nonsense".

A source reportedly closer to the former Duchess of York, 66, hit out after the allegation was published in a revised edition of a royal biography.

They appear in a new edition of Entitled by royal author Andrew Lownie, due for release this month.

According to extracts reported by the Daily Mail, a former employee of jailed Sean Combs, 56, alleged the rapper boasted about "slamming" Sarah, while another associate claimed the pair first met at a New York party hosted by Ghislaine Maxwell in 2002 before embarking on what was described as a secret relationship beginning in 2004.

But a source said to be close to Sarah has now strongly denied the allegations amid renewed public interest in the royal family following the continuing fallout surrounding her ex-husband, the former Prince Andrew and the Epstein scandal.

The insider told The Sun: "This is fabricated nonsense, blatantly untrue and yet another false allegation from Andrew Lownie."

The revised biography also reportedly claims Sarah and Combs met in luxury hotels across Europe and Africa, including one venue costing £50,000 a night.

A photograph said to show the pair together at a Formula One Grand Prix in France has also circulated alongside the allegations.

Combs - whose legal troubles have dominated headlines over the past year following multiple lawsuits and criminal investigations in the United States - is currently serving a prison sentence after being convicted of transporting people across state lines for prostitution.

The rapper, once one of the most powerful figures in hip-hop through Bad Boy Records and hits including I'll Be Missing You, has faced mounting allegations from former associates and accusers, all of which have triggered intense media scrutiny around his celebrity friendships and past lifestyle.

Sarah, meanwhile, has remained in the headlines over speculation about her longstanding friendship with Epstein.

The mother to Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 36, Sarah was recently photographed at a luxury resort in the Alps said to cost around £2,000 a night.

It was the first time she had been photographed in months.

Additional claims in Andrew Lownie's updated book reportedly include allegations Sarah slept with financial backers and once paid a psychic using cigarettes.