Daily Express: Police Scotland Probes Epstein Balmoral Visits

Police Scotland is carrying out active inquiries into visits made by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell to Balmoral Castle, amid allegations that women were trafficked to the royal residence in Aberdeenshire, the Daily Express reported.

Active Inquiries at Balmoral Castle

The police investigation into the activities at the private royal estate remains at a very early stage. A Police Scotland spokesperson stated that information has been received and active inquiries are ongoing, adding that all investigations are evidence-led with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of the process. The force declined to confirm details of the ongoing inquiries, noting that further comment would be inappropriate.

The inquiry focuses on past visits to the Scottish Highlands estate by Epstein, who died in 2019, and Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for sex trafficking. Flight logs released by the Department of Justice showed that Mountbatten-Windsor had flown into Edinburgh on Epstein’s private jet in September 2006. U.S. prosecutors previously released a photograph from 1999 showing Epstein and Maxwell at Balmoral, where Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly hosted them.

Epstein Files Reveal Emails About Inappropriate Friends

Scrutiny over the association intensified following the release of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Epstein files last year. Among the documents was an August 16, 2001 email sent to Maxwell by an individual using the identifier ‘A’, who wrote, “I am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family,” and asked, “Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?” The sender noted their valet had recently died and that they had left the Royal Navy the month before the message was sent.

Buckingham Palace has consistently stated that it does not speak for Mountbatten-Windsor and does not comment on active police investigations. Representatives for Mountbatten-Windsor have been contacted for comment. Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied all wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Broader Police Investigations Across UK Forces

The National Police Chiefs’ Council confirmed that several other police forces, including Thames Valley Police, the Metropolitan Police, and Surrey Police, are pursuing investigations linked to the release of the Epstein files. An NPCC spokesperson noted that identifying potential offenses, suspects, victims, or witnesses is a complex process that will take time.

In February, Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office following information that emerged from the U.S. files regarding his time as a trade envoy, and was later released. Thames Valley Police are also assessing a report that a woman was taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes. No charges have been filed in that assessment, and Mountbatten-Windsor is taking legal action against Thames Valley Police over search warrants issued prior to his February arrest.

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