Prince Andrew 'categorically' denies sex claim

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has "categorically" denied any sexual contact with an American woman, who alleged that she was forced to have sex with him at the age of 17, a media report said on Sunday.

Answering questions during a BBC interview about his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II said the alleged incidents "never happened".

Virginia Giuffre, then called Virginia Roberts, has said that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew between 2001 -- when she was 17 -- and 2002 in London, New York and Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands. Giuffre is one of Epstein's accusers.

Andrew maintained that he was home with his children on one of the alleged occasions.

Andrew, who is the Queen's third child, has been facing questions for several months over his ties with Epstein, an American financier who, at the age of 66, took his own life while awaiting a trial on sex-trafficking charges.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight's Emily Maitlis, Andrew said: "It didn't happen. I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever."

He said Giuffre's account of him "profusely sweating" and "pouring with perspiration" when they danced at the club on the night in 2001 when she says they first had sex was impossible, because he had a medical condition preventing him from perspiring.IANS