Police Scotland Opens ‘Active Inquiries’ Into Andrew And Epstein’s Time At Balmoral

ABERDEENSHIRE — Police Scotland has confirmed it is carrying out “active inquiries” into the time Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor spent at Balmoral Castle with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, after receiving information about the late sex offender’s visits to the royal estate in the Scottish Highlands. The force stressed that the inquiries are at “a very early stage.” The confirmation, reported by the BBC on Friday, led Saturday’s UK front pages and makes Police Scotland the latest British force examining allegations arising from the Epstein files.

What The Police Said

“We have received information and active inquiries are ongoing but these are at a very early stage,” Police Scotland said in a statement. “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.” The BBC reported that the force is looking into the activities of Mountbatten-Windsor, Epstein and Maxwell during their time at Balmoral. The Daily Express, which broke the story, reported that the inquiries relate to allegations that women were trafficked to the royal residence — a characterisation the Express presented as its own understanding, which Police Scotland has not confirmed. Mountbatten-Windsor has not been charged with any offence in connection with the inquiries, and he has consistently denied wrongdoing in his association with Epstein.

The Balmoral Connection

Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking, is believed to have visited Balmoral in 1999 along with Maxwell, his former girlfriend and accomplice, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence in the United States for sex trafficking. The pair are thought to have stayed at the estate following an invitation from Andrew. A photograph believed to show Epstein and Maxwell at the Glen Beg log cabin on the estate was released by US prosecutors during Maxwell’s trial. The Epstein files also include an email sent to Maxwell by a sender signed “A” while staying at Balmoral in August 2001, asking her for “new inappropriate friends.” Flight records reported by the BBC show Mountbatten-Windsor and Maxwell flying from Luton to Edinburgh on Epstein’s private jet, with two other passengers, on September 1, 2006. Balmoral, in Aberdeenshire, is the Royal Family’s private Scottish estate, owned by Queen Elizabeth II at the time of the 1999 visit and now the property of King Charles III.

One Force Among Many

The Balmoral inquiries do not stand alone. Police Scotland had already appealed in February for information about Epstein’s alleged use of private jets through Edinburgh Airport, following the release of the Epstein files by the US Department of Justice. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has confirmed that other investigations and assessments linked to the files are under way in forces including Thames Valley Police, the Metropolitan Police and Surrey Police, while AFP reported that at least ten UK forces are now probing Andrew and Epstein’s links to Britain; the NPCC has said there is no single national investigation and that assessment will take time. Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and expressed confidence in Police Scotland’s handling of the matter. Prime Minister Andy Burnham declined to comment, saying police inquiries should properly be independent.

Andrew, A Year On

The development lands almost exactly a year after Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his prince title last October and required to leave Royal Lodge, his Windsor residence — the monarchy’s attempt to draw a line under the Epstein association, which the Daily has followed through this year’s witness ruling and the continuing document releases. A police force’s “very early stage” inquiries are not a charge, and Police Scotland has given no timeline. But the direction is unmistakable: what began as a reputational collapse is now a set of evidence-led police inquiries on both sides of the border, reaching into the Royal Family’s most private house.

Sources: BBC News, October 30–31, 2026; Police Scotland statement; AFP, October 30–31, 2026; the Daily Express; the National Police Chiefs’ Council.