Palace steps up denial of sex claims

Buckingham Palace stepped up its denial that Prince Andrew had sex with an underage girl and named the alleged victim who had sought to preserve her anonymity, according to British newspaper reports on Sunday.

Buckingham Palace had already denied on Friday allegations made in Florida court documents by the woman, who said she was forced as a minor to have sex with Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth, as well as with other figures linked to a disgraced US financier.

The woman, referred to as "Jane Doe #3" in a court filing this week in the US Southern District of Florida, said 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".