Following weeks of rising media speculation surrounding billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew has finally broken his silence on the matter, with a palace spokesperson saying the Duke of York “has been appalled” by the recent reports concerning the alleged crimes of his former friend.

Just days before the death of billionaire Jeffrey Epstein – who committed suicide in his New York jail cell earlier this month while he awaited trial on charges of conspiracy and sex trafficking – a lawsuit from one of his alleged victims was unsealed, which named Prince Andrew and other former high profile friends.

Now, following mounting pressure against the prince to speak out, Buckingham Palace has released an updated statement from the Queen’s youngest son, which royal reporter Camilla Tominey read aloud on the Today show on Monday morning.

“The Duke of York has been appalled by the recent reports of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged crimes,” the statement is said to read.  “His Royal Highness deplores the exploitation of any human being and the suggestion he would condone, participate in or encourage any such behaviour is abhorrent.”

Wealthy US financier Epstein, 66, was found unresponsive in his cell in Metropolitan Correctional Center (sic) on August 10. He was rushed to New York Downtown Hospital but later pronounced dead.

“Saturday, August 10, 2019, at approximately 6.30am, inmate Jeffrey Edward Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell … subsequently pronounced dead by hospital staff,” a statement from the Metropolitan Correctional Center (sic) read. The US Department of Justice added that his death was the result of an “apparent suicide”.

Epstein, whose friendship with Andrew was widely known, was previously arrested over a series of allegations of sexual misconduct from at least 2002 to 2005. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

However, news of his death came just days after a series of documents detailing allegations of sexual misconduct were unsealed – also naming Prince Andrew and a series of other former friends. The documents from a 2015 defamation case were released by a judge on Friday. The case was brought by Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim of Epstein, against socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.

The documents included an allegation by a woman called Johanna Sjoberg, who claimed Prince Andrew touched her breast while they sat on a couch in Epstein’s apartment in Manhattan in 2001.

They also include transcripts from a past deposition in which Giuffre claimed she was forced into a sexual encounter with the Duke of York. Buckingham Palace strongly denied the allegation in 2015, saying in a statement that “any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors” by the prince was “categorically untrue”.

Attorney general William Barr admitted he was “appalled” by the news of his death at the time, and confirmed he has opened an investigation by the Department of Justice’s inspector general, saying: “Mr. Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered. In addition to the FBI’s investigation, I have consulted with the Inspector General who is opening an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Epstein’s death.”