Prince Andrew 'used N-word' during Buckingham Palace meeting, former Downing Street aid claims

Prince Andrew has been caught up in further controversy after a newspaper columnist claimed the royal used a racially offensive word during a Buckingham Palace meeting in 2012.

Rohan Silva, who writes for the Evening Standard and was David Cameron's key aide on the tech economy at the time, said during a discussion about trade policy he asked the royal if the government department responsible for trade "could be doing a better job".

He told the Standard the Duke of York replied: "Well, If you'll pardon the expression, that really is the n***** in the woodpile."

But Palace sources categorically denied that the duke used the word, telling the paper: "The duke did not say that".

The revelations comes after the duke’s controversial BBC Newsnight appearance, which saw him deny allegations he had sex with an underage girl and explain his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The interview has drawn widespread condemnation, but the duke is said to be standing by his decision to put out his side of the story.

Calls are now growing for the duke to give a formal statement to American authorities examining the Epstein sex scandal.

US lawyer Spencer Kulvin, who represents a woman who claims she was a victim of Epstein, told Radio 4's Today programme Andrew should come forward to help the ongoing investigation into the disgraced American financier.

Mr Kulvin said: "As a lawyer I was rather shocked that he would go on camera like this because anything he says can be utilised in a cross examination of him later, should he choose to come forward, and actually, in an official capacity, allow himself to be interviewed by the US authorities - which I believe he should do.

"I don't think there's any way that a man who's been to all three of Mr Epstein's homes could avoid seeing what was going on in those homes, with people going in and out and young girls being shuttled in and out of those homes."