Alan Dershowitz said the woman making the claims "should not be believed".

He and the Duke of York were named in documents filed in a Florida court over how prosecutors handled a case against financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The woman alleges she was forced by Epstein to have sex with Prince Andrew - claims denied by Buckingham Palace.

She says it happened when she was a minor, on three occasions - in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island owned by Epstein - between 1999 and 2002.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: "This relates to long-standing and ongoing civil proceedings in the United States, to which the Duke of York is not a party.

"As such we would not comment on the detail. However, for the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with under age minors is categorically untrue".

'False as well'

A prominent lawyer and former Harvard Law professor, Mr Dershowitz said the allegations against him were not true.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: "My only feeling is if she's lied about me - which I know to an absolute certainty she has - she should not be believed about anyone else."

He said the woman had "lied about other public figures including a former prime minister and others who she claims to have participated in sexual activities with".

"So I think it must be presumed all her allegations against Prince Andrew were false as well," he told the programme.

The woman has issued a statement through her lawyers, saying she was "looking forward to vindicating my rights as an innocent victim and pursuing all available recourse", adding that she was "not going to be bullied back into silence".

While accusations are levelled against Prince Andrew, it's important to note that he is not party to the proceedings.

Instead he is named as part of evidence relating to a wider case of an alleged sex trafficking scheme, involving US businessman Jeffrey Epstein, who spent time in jail in 2008-9 for a sex offence with a minor.

Two women (known as Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2) are suing the US government, saying it failed to protect their rights when it entered into a plea deal with Epstein.

Now, two further women (Jane Doe #3 and #4) want to join this case, and it's Jane Doe #3 who has made claims against the Duke of York, as part of this.

The prince strongly denies the allegations. This is the first time they have surfaced publicly, and no legal case has been made against him on this matter.

The court document alleges that Epstein sexually trafficked the woman - then a minor - making her available for sex to politically-connected and financially powerful people.

Prince Andrew and Mr Dershowitz are two of three well-known men named in the court document who it alleges had sexual relations with the woman.

The prince has previously been criticised for his former friendship with Epstein, who has served 18 months in prison for soliciting a minor for prostitution.

The pair were photographed meeting in December 2010, after the tycoon had served a prison sentence, while the prince had also visited Epstein at his Florida home over the years.

In 2011, the prince had to apologise for his friendship with him. He stepped down as the UK special representative for trade and investment in July 2011 after 10 years in the role.

Peter Hunt, BBC royal correspondent, said the prince was "once again the focus of an attention he'd rather avoid because of his past friendship with a convicted sex offender".

Our correspondent said Saturday morning's newspaper headlines were "pretty unpalatable" for the prince "and indeed for the royal family".

 

(BBC)