Geoffrey Berman, the outgoing US attorney for the Southern District of New York, had presided over a long inquiry which had seen him make a series of high profile public statements about the Duke of York, including that the duke was offering “zero co-operation”.

On June 20, Mr Trump ejected Mr Berman and Ms Strauss, 72, his deputy, took over his cases.

Her decision to move quickly in the Jeffrey Epstein case drew plaudits from women who have accused the late financier, and questions over why the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell had not happened sooner.

Maria Farmer, who made the first criminal complaint against Epstein in 1996, wrote on Twitter: “Strauss is doing what Berman wouldn’t, his job!” When asked about the timing of the arrest, Ms Strauss said: “That was when we were able and prepared to move to arrest her.”