The Duke of York has made his first public appearance since lurid sex claims made about him were struck off the public record by a Florida judge . A visibly relieved Andrew was visiting the offices of AkzoNobel , a paint firm based in Slough , and smiled broadly as he chatted to employees . The 55-year-old , who was at the factory as part of his work with the Outward Bound Trust , has always denied that he had any sort of relationship with Virginia Roberts . Relieved : The Duke of York made his first public appearance since sex claims against him were thrown out . Today , it was business as usual for the royal , who arrived in a chauffeur-driven racing green Bentley and was shown products from AkzoNobel 's best-known range , Dulux Paints . The Duke also spent 40 minutes in a private meeting with Matt Pullen , the company 's UK managing director , and other senior staff members . The trip to Slough comes less than five days after claims that Andrew had sex with an under-age teenager were removed from civil court records following a federal judge ’ s ruling . The allegations were made by Miss Roberts , now 31 , who had claimed she was the sex slave of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein - a former friend of Andrew 's . Prince Andrew has always vehemently denied the claims - as has Buckingham Palace which took the unprecedented step of issuing a denial shortly after the allegations came to light . Smiling : A visibly relieved Andrew could barely keep the smile off his face during the visit to Slough . Denied : The Duke has always denied the lurid accusations made by Virginia Roberts , now 31 . Speaking after his meeting with the Duke , Mr Pullen brushed off suggestions that his company might by tarnished by association with Andrew and instead emphasised the 'fantastic relationship ' between the two . 'To be honest this is a long-standing engagement and he ’ s the patron of the Outward Bound Trust , who we have a fantastic relationship with , ' said Mr Pullen , adding : 'It 's great to have him here . ' The allegations were part of submissions made by lawyers acting for Miss Roberts , who wanted to join an existing civil lawsuit . It was launched by two women , also alleged Epstein victims , against US federal prosecutors ’ handling of the financier ’ s conviction for a sex offence . He was sentenced to 18 months in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution but lawyers for the women claim a secret plea deal he struck with prosecutors , granting him and any potential co-conspirators immunity from further prosecution , violated their clients ’ rights . Listening in : Prince Andrew used the visit to meet senior staff at paint firm AkzoNobel . Shown around : Andrew was shown many of the firm 's products , including their Dulux paint range . Speaking out : Andrew used the occasion to make a speech about the Outward Bound Trust . US District Judge Kenneth Marra refused Ms Roberts permission to join the lawsuit , and said in his written judgement that the sex abuse details had no bearing on the lawsuit ’ s goal of reopening the Epstein non-prosecution agreement . During the visit to Slough , the Duke was told about the research project AkzoNobel staff are conducting in a bit to find effective ways of using colour to enhance the learning environment for children in schools . Along with Dulux , the firm produces paint under the Cuprinol and Hammerite brands , as well as performance coatings for F1 McLaren cars and supertankers . It has also long been involved with the Outward Bound Trust , on whose board the Duke of York sits , and has raised more than £1m for the charity . The charity aims to boost the life skills and confidence of young people via outdoor activities . In a speech to AkzoNobel staff , Andrew highlighted the importance of the trust ’ s work : 'We need to encourage young people today , to understand there is a need for leadership and there is a need for teamwork and that ’ s different to management , ' he said . 'This is about actually encouraging young people to recognise they have more in them then they ever realised before . ' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
Andrew has made his first official visit since sex claims were thrown out . The Duke visited the AkzoNobel paint factory in Slough , Berkshire . Appeared visibly relieved and was on noticeably cheerful form . Claims were thrown out by judge Kenneth Marra last Wednesday . Comment: Andrew has always vehemently denied the allegations are true .