Scottish police are in the "very early stage" of probing the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's reported stay at the royal Balmoral estate at the invitation of ex-prince Andrew, AFP reported on Friday, citing UK media reports. "We have received information and active inquiries are ongoing but these are at a very early stage," Police Scotland said in a brief statement to some UK media, without elaborating on the probe.
Source: AFP via Ekkow
Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking, is believed to have visited the British monarch's estate in northeast Scotland in 1999 along with Ghislaine Maxwell, his jailed former girlfriend and accomplice, AFP said. The pair are thought to have stayed following an invite from Andrew, who has previously acknowledged his friendships with both but has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
Source: AFP via Ekkow
The Daily Express newspaper, which broke the story, reported the inquiries were related to alleged trafficking of women to the Scottish Highlands castle — now the property of King Charles III, but at the time belonging to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. That trafficking link is an allegation reported by the Express; Police Scotland has not confirmed it, and the force told other UK 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."
Source: PA Media via Sunshine Radio
One of at least ten UK police probes
At least ten UK police forces are probing Andrew and Epstein's links to Britain, AFP reported, and multiple forces including Thames Valley Police, the Metropolitan Police and Surrey Police also have live investigations linked to the release of the Epstein files, according to the National Police Chiefs' Council. Police Scotland had previously appealed for information about Epstein's alleged chartering of private jets to transport women through Edinburgh Airport.
Source: AFP / NPCC via Sunshine Radio
The former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was briefly arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to Epstein, as police searched his properties, AFP reported. The king last year stripped his brother of royal titles and ousted him from his residence in Windsor amid continued fallout from his ties to Epstein. Andrew has denied wrongdoing, and this month he won a legal challenge over the February searches after police agreed the warrants they obtained were "unlawful" — although that investigation remains ongoing.
Source: AFP via Ekkow
What happens next: Police Scotland's inquiries are at a very early stage, the force has named no suspects in this line of inquiry and has not said whether anyone will be interviewed. The Balmoral line is one strand of a much wider British examination of Epstein's activities in the UK that followed new document releases in the United States this year — and, on the police's own wording, it will be led by evidence, not by the headlines around it.