Buckingham Palace on Friday denied allegations by a woman who said in Florida court documents that as a minor she was forced to have sex with Britain’s Prince Andrew and other high-profile figures tied to a wealthy US businessman.
The woman, referred to as “Jane Doe #3” in legal papers filed last week in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, said that financier Jeffrey Epstein made her have sex with the Duke of York in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island, as part of “an orgy with numerous other underaged girls.”
“Epstein instructed Jane Doe #3 that she was to give the Prince whatever he demanded and required Jane Doe #3 to report back to him on the details,” records said.
Photo: AFP
Her accusations are part of an ongoing case brought against the US government by women who say they were abused by Epstein, who served time for child sex charges brought by the state of Florida, but was not prosecuted in US federal court as part of a plea deal.
The accuser aims to join litigation dating back to 2008, in which several women allege that federal prosecutors violated their rights.
Andrew has not been named as a direct party in the suit.
“However, for the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue,” Buckingham Palace spokeswoman Meryl Walter said.
The plaintiff said Epstein kept her as a “sex slave” from 1999 to 2002, adding that she had sex on private airplanes and in the US with Alan Dershowitz, a professor emeritus at Harvard University and US lawyer who represented Epstein.
Dershowitz called the woman’s claims “completely false.”
“The story is completely and totally made up,” said Dershowitz, adding that he planned to seek having her lawyers disbarred.
The scandal has long dogged Andrew, 54, the divorced second son of Queen Elizabeth II.
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