Buckingham Palace is swatting down allegations that Prince Andrew -- the Duke of York and second son of Queen Elizabeth II -- repeatedly had sexual relations with an under-aged woman in the United States. The denial comes after Prince Andrew's name was cited in court documents over a long-running case in Florida against an American investment banker who was previously convicted of soliciting sex with an under-aged girl.
According to the court papers, an unnamed woman alleges that between 1999 and 2002, multi-millionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein forced her to have sexual relations with the prince when she was still a minor.
Though the prince is not named a legal party in the court documents, a spokesperson from the Buckingham Palace released a statement seeking to clear the air on the swirling accusations.
"This relates to long-standing and ongoing civil proceedings in the United States, to which the Duke of York is not a party," the statement reads. "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."
Prince Andrew has previously distanced himself from his friendship with Epstein, telling Vanity Fair in a 2011 interview that he never had sexual contact with young women associated to the banker.