Prince Andrew publicly denies claims he had sex with underage girl

DAVOS, Switzerland -- Britain's Prince Andrew on Thursday publicly denied allegations he had sex with an underage teenager.

He made the denial during a visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It was his first public appearance since the charges.

U.S. lawyers representing a woman who claims she was forced to have underage sex with Prince Andrew have filed papers requesting that he respond to her claims under oath.

Buckingham Palace officials have strongly denied that Andrew had any sexual involvement with the woman, who is identified only as Jane Doe No. 3 in court papers. The accusations stem from a lengthy lawsuit against American financier Jeffrey Epstein, who the woman claims forced her to have sex with prominent people, including Prince Andrew.

"I just wish to reiterate and to reaffirm the statements which have already been made on my behalf by Buckingham Palace," Prince Andrew said Thursday.

He went on to say: "My focus is on my work."

The royal has faced increasing pressure to speak about the allegations since they first emerged earlier this month.

The woman behind the charges says in court papers the prince's denials are false.

"I hope my attorneys can interview Prince Andrew under oath about the contacts and that he will tell the truth," she says in the papers.

Prince Andrew Albert Edward Christian, son of Queen Elizabeth II and fifth in line to the throne, has long been plagued by his relationship with the wealthy and politically connected Epstein. The royal stepped down as the U.K. special representative for trade and investment in 2011, a position he held for a decade, after he was photographed meeting with Epstein, who was then a convicted sex offender.

Prince Andrew has previously been accused of spending time with minors Epstein was allegedly sexually exploiting, but he had not yet been named in a court document as a participant in sexual activity with the victims.