ADVERTISEMENTPrince Andrew, the Queen’s second son, has been named in a US lawsuit about underage sex allegations.
The accusations - according to The Guardian - are filed in a Florida court, and in connection with an ongoing case brought by two women who say they were used by Jeffrey Epstein, an American investment banker and convicted sex offender.
The Prince has previously denied any sexual contact with women associated with Epstein.
A woman alleges that the plaintiff, a multimillionaire, loaned her to his friends as a “sex slave”. In one document she claims she was “forced to have sexual relations with the prince when she was a minor” in New York, London and on an island in the Caribbean owned by Epstein.
Epstein, a friend of the Duke, pleaded guilty to soliciting sex with a 14 year old. He entered a plea deal and was given an 18-month sentence but served 13 months.
According to the documents, Epstein made the girl, who was then a minor, “available for sex to politically connected and financially powerful people” so that he could “ingratiate himself with them for business, personal, political and financial gain, as well as to obtain potential blackmail information”.
The American has allegedly agreed out-of-court settlements with many of his accusers. But two are suing him because they claim they should have been consulted before he was allowed to enter into a bargain with prosecutors.
A spokesperson for Prince Andrew said: “This relates to long-standing and ongoing civil proceedings in the United States, to which The Duke of York is not a party. As such we would not comment on the detail. However, for the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.”