Prince Andrew denies rift over daughters Eugenie and Beatrice

There is "no truth" in press claims of a split in the Royal Family over the future roles of Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, the Duke of York has said.

Prince Andrew said in a statement he wished to stop "speculation and innuendo" relating to his daughters.

He said it was "complete fabrication" to suggest he wanted titles for any future husbands of the princesses.

He added that continued speculation over a split between himself and Prince Charles was "pointless".

"As a father, my wish for my daughters is for them to be modern, working, young women, who happen to be members of the Royal Family, and I am delighted to see them building their careers," the duke said.

"When they do support the Royal Family in its work this is very much appreciated by my family and, most importantly, by those organisations and to those for whom their participation makes such a difference to their lives."

While acknowledging there is "considerable interest" in the granddaughters of the Queen, Prince Andrew said he "cannot continue to stand by and have the media speculate on their futures based on my purported interventions, which are completely made up".

The statement was issued via the duke's Twitter account.

It came shortly after the princesses' mother, the Duchess of York, urged the media to "stop bullying the York family".

She was speaking as Beatrice, 28, and Eugenie, 26, became patrons of the Teenage Cancer Trust charity.

The duchess and the two princesses visited a specialist teen cancer unit in central London to mark the occasion, meeting young people with the disease.

"Let's focus more on this and less on tittle-tattle gossip," said the duchess, who was divorced from Prince Andrew in 1996.