Hosting a business reception at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Prince Andrew makes his first public comments since allegations that a seventeen-year-old woman was forced to have sex with him.
The Duke of York denies any suggestion of wrongdoing with Virginia Roberts whose lawyers have repeated the claims in documents filed in a Florida court.
It was the first time the 54-year-old prince had spoken publicly since it was claimed that he had sex with Ms Roberts on three separate occasions when she was a teenager. The Prince denied the allegations, reiterating a previous statement made by Buckingham Palace rebutting the claims.
Ms Roberts alleges she was forced to have sex with the Prince when she was 17 by his financier friend Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.
The Prince had been the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment since 2001, but he stepped down in 2011 amid criticism of his links to controversial business and political figures.
He faced accusations of a lack of judgment about his links with American billionaire Epstein, who was jailed for 18 months in 2008 for sex offences. Two years after Epstein’s release, the duke was spotted strolling through New York’s Central Park with the billionaire.
Last year, the fifth in line to the throne clocked up a total of 66,000 air miles. The taxpayer foots the bill for his security staff when travelling and at his engagements.
Thursday’s reception in Davos is being partly sponsored by accounting firm KPMG, which says it “remains committed” to “showcasing British business”.
Drinks firm Diageo, which is also funding the Pitch@Palace event, says it is about “showcasing the best of British business and entrepreneurship”.
A tweet on the Duke’s twitter feed later confirmed that he had been in talks about the project with representatives of a major Saudi economic development hub, the King Abdullah Economic City:
Great follow up discussion on #pitchatpalace activity with @kaec_saudi
— The Duke of York (@TheDukeOfYork) January 22, 2015
Fascinating conversation @wef with @davidkarp on @tumblr on #entrepreneurship and @idea_award pic.twitter.com/BJtWlwckWr
— The Duke of York (@TheDukeOfYork) January 22, 2015