Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Charles’ younger brother, returned to England this weekend amid allegations of sexual misconduct with an American teen.
Andrew returns after spending the holiday in Switzerland. The allegations stem from a civil lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in Florida alleging that a young girl was a “sex slave” to billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, a registered sex offender convicted of solicitation, and some of his friends.
None of the individuals are being sued; the woman’s allegations are a part of a larger proceeding with three other alleged victims against the U.S. government, alleging that the government’s plea deal with Epstein violated their rights.
The woman filed the case in the US as “Jane Doe 3,” alleging that as a teenager more than a decade ago she was forced to have sex with the Prince while underage. The allegations have been categorically denied by Buckingham Palace.
On Monday, the allegations made reportedly touched on another royal, when the father of the alleged victim told The Sun that the teenager met the Queen while she was in the United Kingdom spending time with Andrew. “There is nothing to suggest that this claim is true. We have no record of this meeting,” a spokesman for the Palace said.
Related: Prince Andrew denies sex allegations Others named in the lawsuit have also denied the allegations. The alleged victim said in a statement she believed they were attempts to silence her. “These types of aggressive attacks on me are exactly the reason why sexual abuse victims typically remain silent,” the woman, now 30, said. “I’m not going to be bullied back into silence.” These allegations tying Andrew to Epstein are not new – Andrew was tied to Epstein years ago and alleged to be present at parties with underage women while the pair were friends; he has in the past denied that he was present for any impropriety but the court filing is, however, the first time Andrew’s been named in any legal proceedings related to the billionaire financier.
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