The Duke of York has accused US prosecutors of “failing to play with a straight bat” after they publicly humiliated him by claiming he was not cooperating with the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

Sources close to the Duke, 59, revealed that his lawyers were preparing to counter claims that he had ignored multiple appeals for an interview from the FBI. The Sunday Telegraph understands they intend to release a statement clarifying their position imminently.

It comes amid increasing confusion about exactly what the FBI has asked of the Duke and its specific means of contact.

Geoffrey Berman, a US attorney, made what was deemed an unprecedented move last week when he announced that the Duke had provided "zero cooperation" following the FBI’s requests for an interview about Epstein, the convicted paedophile.

One former New York prosecutor said the move was “calculated to elicit a response” and that his office was under immense pressure to produce results on the investigation.

But the Duke quickly contradicted the claim, with a friend suggesting he was “angry and bewildered" by the suggestion he had refused to cooperate, insisting he had not been approached.

The apparent stand-off remains shrouded in mystery, not least because Buckingham Palace has distanced itself from the ongoing crisis. Aides were swift to point out that the Duke was no longer a working royal and as such, they did not represent him.

Having effectively washed their hands of the scandal, they would say only that the issue was being dealt with by the Duke’s legal team, which they declined to identify.

Many likely candidates within the field of international law said they had nothing to do with the case, while one well-placed legal source who has previously represented the Royal Family in criminal matters suggested the Duke had chosen to work with a close friend because the matter was so sensitive.

Berman, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York who is leading the investigation into Epstein’s possible co-conspirators, is believed to have taken the decision to speak out because the Duke had publicly declared in November that he was "willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”