Buckingham Palace "Emphatically" Denies Sex Allegations Made Against Prince Andrew

He has been accused of having sex with a teenager

By Francesca Bacardi Jan 05, 2015 3:07 PMTags
Prince Andrew, Duke of YorkChris Jackson/Getty Images

Buckingham Palace is "emphatically" denying the sex allegations against Prince Andrew that accuse the member of the royal family of having sex with a teenager.

This is the second time this week that Buckingham Palace has spoken about the matter, previously releasing a statement that read, "This relates to long-running and ongoing civil proceedings in the United States to which the Duke of York is not a party. As such we would not comment in detail, however, for the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue."

The Duke of York was named in court documents filed about billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who has previously pleaded guilty and served 13 months in jail for soliciting an underage prostitute, but a palace spokesperson continues to deny Prince Andrew's involvement in the ordeal, which also includes lawyer Alan Dershowitz.

"It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with [the woman]. The allegations made are false and without any foundation," read the statement obtained by NBC News.

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On Sunday, however, the alleged victim's lawyer, Paul Cassell, released a statement on behalf of his client, who is now 30 years old.

"I am looking forward to vindicating my rights as an innocent victim and pursuing all available recourse. It appears that I am now being unjustly victimized again," the statement read. "These types of aggressive attacks on me are exactly the reason why sexual abuse victims typically remain silent and the reason why I did for a long time. That trend should change. I'm not going to be bullied back into silence."

The Queen's second son, 54, has laid low since the allegations hit the press but returned from a ski vacation in Switzerland Sunday. Dershowitz appeared on Today Monday morning and also denied his involvement in the allegations.

"Prince Andrew is as innocent as I am, and I must, of course, presume he is," Dershowitz said. "He should be fighting back in the way that I'm fighting back. He should not accept this charge and allow it to go unanswered."

No claim has been brought against him.

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)