Scottish detectives have launched an inquiry into the time late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell spent at Balmoral Castle as guests of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Police Scotland announced Friday.
The agency confirmed that inquiries are underway after receiving new information regarding visits to the royal estate, The Guardian reported. The Daily Express reported that the investigation is examining allegations that women were trafficked to the Scottish property.
“We have received information and active inquiries are ongoing, but these are at a very early stage,” a Police Scotland spokesperson said, according to the outlets. “All inquiries are evidence-led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those inquiries. We would never confirm details of ongoing inquiries and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
Fresh scrutiny over royal estate visits
Epstein, who was convicted in Florida in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor, and Maxwell, convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking a minor, visited Balmoral in 1999. Photographs released by the U.S. Department of Justice appeared to show Epstein and Andrew shooting on the grounds of the Scottish retreat, which long served as a private summer residence for Queen Elizabeth II. Another photograph presented at Maxwell’s trial showed her with Epstein at the estate.
The new scrutiny in Scotland comes as multiple British law enforcement agencies continue assessing materials tied to Epstein, the National Police Chiefs’ Council said, according to The Guardian. The council noted that while forces including Surrey Police, Thames Valley Police, and London’s Metropolitan Police are conducting inquiries, no single national investigation exists.
“Identifying any further potential offending, suspects, victims or witnesses is a complex process and will take time, but UK policing remains committed to carrying out a meticulous assessment of the material released by the US Department of Justice,” an NPCC spokesperson said, as reported by The Guardian.
Legal turmoil surrounds Mountbatten-Windsor
Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, has consistently denied all wrongdoing connected to his relationship with Epstein. The former Duke of York was arrested at the Sandringham estate in eastern England on Feb. 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office, ABC News reported. Authorities arrested him amid allegations that he shared confidential government trade documents with Epstein while serving as the U.K. special representative for international trade and investment between 2001 and 2011.
It marked the first arrest of a senior British royal in nearly four centuries, ABC News noted. Mountbatten-Windsor was interviewed under caution and released under investigation, with that inquiry remaining open.
Files released by the U.S. government detailed correspondence between Maxwell and an individual using the alias the “Invisible Man,” who signed emails “A,” The Guardian and the New York Post reported. In an August 2001 message from Balmoral, the sender asked Maxwell, “Have you found me some inappropriate friends?” In 2002, Maxwell informed an unidentified recipient that she had shared Andrew’s phone number and that he would welcome “two legged sight seeing,” according to The Guardian.
Records also indicated that Maxwell and Mountbatten-Windsor flew together on Epstein’s private jet from Luton to Edinburgh in September 2006, leading British police to seek information regarding the flight, the New York Post reported.
Andrew stepped back from his trade role in 2011 following scrutiny over his Epstein ties. That same year, a photograph surfaced showing him with Virginia Giuffre, who accused Epstein and Maxwell of trafficking her to the former prince when she was 17. Andrew paid millions of dollars to settle a U.S. civil lawsuit brought by Giuffre in 2022 without admitting liability. Giuffre died by suicide at age 41 in April 2025.
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What lies ahead
Scottish authorities have not named any suspects or outlined a timeline for the inquiry. Police Scotland reiterated that the probe remains in its preliminary phase as investigators review the submitted information. It remains unclear whether formal interviews will be requested or if charges will follow as detectives weigh the findings against existing evidence.
