Police Scotland is investigating the activities of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell during their time at Balmoral Castle, the Daily Express can reveal. Enquiries are understood to relate to claims that women were trafficked to the King's private estate in the Highlands.
A Police Scotland spokesman confirmed the force had received information and that active enquiries are ongoing, though they remain at a very early stage.
Flight to Edinburgh Under Scrutiny
In February, Police Scotland said it was keen to speak to anyone with information about a September 2006 flight into Edinburgh Airport, when Andrew and Maxwell were on board Epstein's private jet. Flight logs from Epstein's aircraft show that Andrew and Maxwell flew from Luton to Edinburgh on September 1, 2006, with two other passengers on board, one of whom was named as "Crasnasky". The log notes that Epstein was not on board.
Prosecutors in the US previously released a photo of Epstein and Maxwell lounging together outside a log cabin on the Balmoral estate, taken during a visit in 1999. The image, Exhibit GX-347, is not date-stamped and featured in Maxwell's trial for recruiting and grooming teenage girls for Epstein between 1994 and 2004.
Epstein Files and Balmoral Emails
Last year, the release of the Epstein Files by the US Department of Justice revealed an email from someone named "A" at Balmoral sent to Maxwell on August 16, 2001, asking: "How's LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?" The message begins: "I am up here at Balmoral summer camp for the Royal Family," and signs off: "See ya A xxx."
The 1999 photograph shows the pair sitting together outside a wooden lodge, thought to be the "Honka Hut" in Balmoral's Ballochbuie Forest. It was given to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip by the people of Finland in the 1970s.
Witness Accounts and Wider Investigations
In 2019, a woman told the Daily Mail that she was part of a group who allegedly came to the UK for a week-long visit in "mid-1999". Then in her early 20s, the former model claimed it took place shortly after she had started giving sexual massages to Epstein. Speaking anonymously, she told how Andrew had welcomed them to Balmoral and recalled making "chit-chat", adding: "He was really nice. He was very polite. [He had his] guard up." They reportedly stayed overnight at the 52-bedroom castle and spent the following day being entertained in the grounds.
Andrew's accuser Virginia Giuffre alleged she was made to have sex with the prince on a number of occasions in the early 2000s, including at Maxwell's home in Central London. The former prince has always strenuously denied any offence, and his financial settlement with Ms Giuffre did not constitute an admission of wrongdoing.
The National Police Chiefs' Council has set up a UK-wide coordination group to support at least nine forces assessing allegations from the Epstein Files. Thames Valley Police has said it was looking into claims that a woman in her 20s was sent to the UK by Epstein in 2010 for a sexual encounter with the Duke at Royal Lodge, while Surrey Police has said it was seeking information on an allegation of human trafficking and sexual assault dating back to the mid-1990s.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "We have received information and active enquiries are ongoing but these are at a very early stage. All enquiries are evidence-led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those enquiries. We would never confirm details of ongoing enquiries and it would be inappropriate to comment further."
