Britain’s embattled royal family has been caught up in fresh controversy centred on the disgraced Prince Andrew.

It has been reported the Duke of York intensively socialized with a billionaire accused of raping 10 women and girls, some as young as 14.

In what is being billed as yet another major blow to Buckingham Palace, Prince Andrew has been linked to the Finnish-Canadian fashion executive, and suspected sex offender, Peter Nygard.

Nygard is accused of rape and sodomy in an expansive class-action lawsuit filed in a Manhattan federal court in the US.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed on February 13, Nygard lured “a slew of young disadvantaged teens to his Bahamian mansion under the promise of fame and fortune … then raped, sodomized and coerced them to engage in depraved fetishes”.

The Daily Mail (February 14) published pictures of the Duke of York taking a stroll with Nygard at the same mansion in 2000. In another photo, Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, is photographed with Nygard in the same place, either in 1997 or 2000.

This developing scandal comes on the heels of Prince Andrew’s deep involvement with the disgraced financier and convicted paedophile, Jeff Epstein, who reportedly committed suicide last August.

The Duke of York’s close friendship with Epstein forced him to drastically scale back his royal duties last November following a disastrous interview with BBC Newsnight.

Source: Presstv