Police Scotland are investigating Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s stay at Balmoral Castle as reported guests of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor amid allegations that women were trafficked to the royal estate. Authorities confirmed they had received information regarding the visit and that inquiries remain at a very early stage.
Balmoral Visit and Ongoing Inquiries
The late Epstein, convicted in 2008 of soliciting sex from girls, and Maxwell, convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking a minor, stayed at Balmoral in 1999. Photographs previously released by the US Department of Justice appear to show Andrew and Epstein shooting on the property. As reported by the Daily Express, the current police inquiries relate to claims that women were trafficked to the estate.
A Police Scotland spokesperson stated that active inquiries are ongoing and are evidence-led, prioritizing the needs of victim survivors. The spokesperson added that details of ongoing inquiries would not be confirmed and further comment would be inappropriate.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council confirmed that other investigations linked to the release of Epstein files are continuing across several forces, including Thames Valley police, the Metropolitan police, and Surrey police. An NPCC spokesperson explained that identifying further potential offenses, suspects, victims, or witnesses is complex and time-consuming, though UK policing remains committed to a meticulous assessment of the material released by the US Department of Justice. The NPCC noted there is no national investigation at present.
Background on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
The former Duke of York was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on February 19 of this year, his 66th birthday, following allegations that he shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy. He was interviewed under caution and released under investigation. He denies wrongdoing, and the police investigation is ongoing.
An email released last year from a tranche of Epstein files, signed by “A” and addressed to Maxwell, asked for “inappropriate friends.” In one of four emails sent in August 2001 by someone using the name the Invisible Man, the sender mentioned that their valet had recently died and they had left the Royal Navy. Mountbatten-Windsor left the Royal Navy the month before that email. Another email dated August 16, 2001, stated the sender was at the Balmoral summer camp for the royal family and asked Maxwell to find inappropriate friends.
In March 2002, an email from Maxwell to the Invisible Man indicated she had passed a message to an unnamed individual stating she had given Andrew their telephone number and that Andrew would be very happy to do some two-legged sightseeing. Andrew served as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment from 2001 to 2011, stepping down amid controversy over his friendship with Epstein. He received no salary for the role, though his travel and expense costs drew criticism.
His departure from the trade post occurred the same year he was photographed with his arm around his primary accuser, Virginia Giuffre, who stated she had been trafficked to the former duke at Maxwell’s home. Andrew paid millions of pounds to settle a US civil suit with Giuffre in 2022, despite having claimed he never met her. Giuffre died by suicide at the age of 41 in April 2025.
