Police Scotland have launched an investigation into the 1999 stay by Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at the royal Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire. Authorities confirmed active inquiries are at a very early stage following information concerning alleged trafficking of women to the private Highland property.
The decision by law enforcement to probe activities at the sprawling Scottish residence follows months of intense fallout from documents published by the United States Department of Justice earlier this year. While images released from the federal files depict Epstein and Maxwell participating in a shooting trip on the estate, authorities have consistently stressed that the mere presence of a name or photograph in the archive does not constitute proof of criminal misconduct.
Police Scotland addressed the nature of their ongoing work in a formal statement. We have received information and active inquiries are ongoing, but these are at a very early stage,
the force stated, emphasizing that victim survivors remain central to their efforts. The department added that details of ongoing inquiries would not be confirmed because it would be inappropriate to comment further.
The estate itself holds a central place in the history of the British monarchy. Purchased by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1852, Balmoral has remained in the family’s ownership as a treasured retreat for the Royal Family. It was notably the location where Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 in 2022.
Active Inquiries at Balmoral and Across British Police Forces
The Scottish probe is far from an isolated action. The National Police Chiefs’ Council confirmed that several other regional forces—including Thames Valley Police, the Metropolitan Police Service, and Surrey Police—are actively assessing information tied to the massive release of Epstein files.
Investigators are proceeding methodically through millions of pages of documents published by the U.S. Department of Justice during probes into Epstein’s links to politicians, business leaders, and other influential people around the world.
Disclosures in the File Tranche and Historical Emails
The scrutiny surrounding Balmoral intensified after files released last year revealed correspondence from an individual using the alias The Invisible Man,
who signed messages with A xxx.
In August 2001, the sender wrote to Maxwell asking if she had found some inappropriate friends,
noting that they were staying at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family. The sender also mentioned that their valet had recently died and that they had left the Royal Navy the month before the email was dispatched.
Police Scotland have launched an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's visit to Balmoral in 1999, reportedly on the invitation of the then-Prince Andrew. Andrew denies any wrongdoing.A spokesperson for the force said: "All inquiries are evidence-led, with… pic.twitter.com/XbRGbhinBn
Further records showed that Epstein and Maxwell traveled to Scotland on other occasions as well.
Police Arrested Mountbatten-Windsor for Sharing Sensitive Information
The unfolding investigation in Scotland compounds severe legal and personal pressures already facing the 66-year-old former royal. In February, Thames Valley Police arrested Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office on his 66th birthday, following allegations he shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as the United Kingdom’s trade envoy.
That February arrest marked the first time in nearly four centuries that British police had taken a senior royal into custody. Although he was interviewed under caution and released under police bail pending further investigation without immediate charges, the fallout led King Charles III to strip his younger brother of his princely title. Mountbatten-Windsor was also ordered to move out of the Royal Lodge, his longtime home near Windsor Castle, and now lives in a house at Sandringham, the king’s privately owned estate in eastern England.
Whilst our investigation into misconduct in public office continues, we are engaged in legal proceedings in relation to warrants previously obtained from the Central Criminal Court.
Thames Valley Police, via Yahoo News UK
Subsequent legal challenges over those police operations saw a judge at the Royal Courts of Justice, Mr Justice Hilliard, explain that a significant error was made in the application for and grant of the search warrants. The judge stated that this was enough to render the warrants, the searches, and the material seized unlawful, though he clarified that the ruling did not invalidate the wider ongoing investigation.
Lingering Questions Over Unresolved Allegations
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting sex from underage girls and died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Ghislaine Maxwell was subsequently convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking a minor and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in the United States.
The former duke has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. Public attention intensified around his long-standing ties to the businessman following claims brought forward in 2011 by the late Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and compelled to engage in sexual acts with Mountbatten-Windsor at the age of 17. Mountbatten-Windsor sought to defuse the controversy via an extended 2019 BBC broadcast, yet the approach misfired as he faced widespread reproach for presenting unconvincing justifications for his actions and omitting any expression of sympathy for Epstein’s victims. He later reached a multimillion-pound civil settlement with Giuffre in the United States in 2022, before she died by suicide at the age of 41 in April 2025.
Police in Scotland have opened an investigation into the time the former Prince Andrew spent with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, at the king’s Balmoral estate.Read more https://t.co/Eyk9mxWomM pic.twitter.com/94cPehE3WG