Prince Andrew spoke for the first time on Wednesday about the allegations of sexual misconduct which were made against him and later vehemently denied by Buckingham Palace. Making his first public appearace at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland since the allegations, the Prince reaffirmed the statement made by Buckingham Palace last week.
"I wish to reiterate & reaffirm the statements already made by Buckingham Palace", said the Prince, before adding: "My focus is my work."
Prince Andrew in 2014
It was unclear whether the Prince would address the claims - although he had been advised to go ahead and confront the issue in a bid to lay them to rest at the summit - but the 54-year-old did so swiftly and clearly before continuing his speech.
Prince Andrew was on a family holiday in Verbier when news of the story broke at the start of the year. He was alleged to have had sexual contact with Virginia Roberts when she was 17 – a minor under US law. "It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts," Buckingham Palace said in a formal statement. "Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation."