Arthur C Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, will be knighted by the Prince of Wales in Sri Lanka on Wednesday despite claims yesterday that he had paid for sex with young boys.

Clarke hit back at the allegations last night while Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street said there were no plans to halt the ceremony.

In an article in the Sunday Mirror, Clarke, 80, appeared to admit having paid boys for sex. However, speaking from his home in Colombo yesterday, he denied the allegations, saying he had been tricked by the "republican lobby" in the British press. "This was a political hatchet job - not aimed specifically at me, but designed to embarrass Prince Charles. I have not been sexually active for more than 20 years."