Buckingham Palace is backing Prince Andrew. In a new lawsuit, a Florida woman has alleged that she was forced to have underage sexual relations with the Duke of York when she was 17.
"This relates to long-standing and ongoing civil proceedings in the United States, to which the Duke of York is not a party," Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Friday, Jan. 2. "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 unidentified female's accusation was made in a lawsuit against Prince Andrew's friend, billionaire banker Jeffrey Epstein. According to The Guardian, the woman claims that Epstein told her "to give the prince whatever he demanded" and to "report back on the details."
Epstein, for his part, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for having sex with a 14-year-old girl in 2008. He only served 13 months and is now a registered sex offender.
Prince Andrew, 54, is the fifth in line to the British throne. He and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson are parents to Princesses Beatrice, 26, and Eugenie, 24.
