Prince Andrew rejects involvement in Epstein sex scandal

Prince Andrew has said he is "appalled" by the sex abuse claims surrounding his former friend Jeffrey Epstein.

Prince Andrew briefly referred to the allegations at the Davos annual meeting in 2015, saying: "I wish to reiterate and reaffirm the statements already made on my behalf by Buckingham Palace".

In the video, reportedly filmed on December 6, 2010, Andrew appears to look out from the front door of the property in Manhattan after Epstein leaves with a young woman. CBS News foreign correspondent Charlie D'Agata reports from London, and attorney Deborah Blum joined CBSN to discuss the latest developments.

The well-connected American financier, whose circle of friends and acquaintances included a long list of politicians, socialites, and celebrities including Donald Trump before he was president and former US President Bill Clinton.

Two years previously, in 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in a Florida court to procuring an underage girl for prostitution. He had pled not guilty to sex trafficking and conspiracy charges, and was held without bail.

It is thought to have been filmed around the same time that the pair were famously photographed together in Central Park after Mr Epstein had served his 18-month prison sentence.

The royals released the statement after Britain's Mail on Sunday newspaper obtained a 6 December 2010 video showing Andrew inside the convicted pedophile's NY home waving goodbye to a young woman.

The defamation case was brought by Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim of Epstein, against socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was claimed to have introduced the prince to her friend Epstein, the BBC reported.

"His Royal Highness deplores the exploitation of any human being and the suggestion he would condone, participate in or encourage any such behavior is abhorrent", Buckingham Palace wrote.

He quit his role as United Kingdom trade envoy in 2011 after the fallout from the Central Park photos.

But Buckingham Palace has branded the allegations "false and without any foundation", stating: "Any suggestion of impropriety with under-age minors" by the duke was "categorically untrue".

Andrew, who is fourth in line to the throne, is among the rich and powerful who have been swept up by their ties - past or present - to Epstein, whose death in a Manhattan jail cell earlier this month was ruled a suicide.

The Department of Justice has launched an investigation into how Epstein was able to die in New York's highly secure Metropolitan Correctional Center.