Police probe Epstein and Andrew's Balmoral visits
Inquiries at a very early stage
Police Scotland has confirmed it is carrying out inquiries into the time Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell spent at Balmoral with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, describing the work as at a “very early stage”.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said the force had received information and that active inquiries were ongoing, but declined to give details. “All inquiries are evidence-led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those inquiries,” the spokesperson said. “We would never confirm details of ongoing inquiries and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
What prompted the inquiries
The Daily Express, which first reported the development, said the inquiries relate to allegations that women were trafficked to the royal estate in the Scottish Highlands. That allegation is reported, not confirmed by police, who have not described the nature of the information they received.
Epstein and Maxwell are reported to have visited Balmoral in 1999 at the invitation of the then Duke of York. Photographs released by the US Department of Justice appeared to show the pair on a shooting trip at the estate, and flight logs in the released files recorded Andrew and Maxwell flying from Luton to Edinburgh on Epstein's private jet on 1 September 2006.
The wider police picture
The National Police Chiefs' Council confirmed that several forces, including Thames Valley Police, the Metropolitan Police and Surrey Police, have live investigations linked to material released in the Epstein files. There is currently no single national investigation, the council said.
Andrew was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, relating to allegations he shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as the UK's trade envoy. He was interviewed under caution and released under investigation, and has consistently denied wrongdoing in his dealings with Epstein. Buckingham Palace has said it does not speak for him and does not comment on active police investigations.
Sources: CNN
