Police Scotland has confirmed it is investigating claims that women were trafficked to the King's Balmoral estate, with enquiries linked to the activities of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Highlands castle.
A spokesman for the force said it had “received information and active enquiries are ongoing”, but stressed the investigation was still at a “very early stage”.
Police confirm early-stage investigation
Earlier this year, the force appealed for information after it emerged that the former Duke of York and Maxwell flew to Edinburgh on Epstein's private jet in September 2006, according to the Daily Express.
When asked whether they were currently investigating the activities of Mountbatten-Windsor, Epstein and Maxwell in Scotland, 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.”
Epstein Files reveal Balmoral email and flight logs
US prosecutors previously released a photo of Epstein and Maxwell lounging together outside a log cabin at Balmoral, taken during a visit in 1999. They had been welcomed to the estate by Andrew, who has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
The photograph featured in Maxwell's trial for recruiting and grooming teenage girls for Epstein between 1994 and 2004. She was found guilty of sex trafficking and is currently serving a sentence of 20 years in prison.
In 2025, 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.” The email sender signs off: “See ya A xxx.” The files also include flight logs from Epstein's private jet, which show that Andrew and Maxwell flew from Luton to Edinburgh on September 1, 2006.
Two other passengers were on board – one name was redacted and the other an unidentified person named as “Crasnasky”. It came two months after Epstein was charged with a sex offence in Florida which resulted in a notorious plea deal that saw him behind bars for 18 months.
UK-wide coordination and other force enquiries
In February, Police Scotland appealed for information about the 2006 flight into Edinburgh. A spokesman had said: “We have not received any report or complaint in relation to this matter. We would be keen to speak to anyone with information.”
The National Police Chiefs' Council has set up a UK-wide coordination group to support at least nine forces that are assessing allegations to have emerged from the Epstein Files.
They include Thames Valley Police, which 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. Meanwhile, Surrey Police has said it was seeking information on an allegation of human trafficking and sexual assault dating back to the mid-1990s.
In response to the former model's comments in 2019, a spokesman for the then-Prince Andrew declined to comment on the alleged Balmoral visit.
