Police Scotland has confirmed that active enquiries are ongoing into the activities of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell during their time at Balmoral Castle, the Express can reveal. The force said the enquiries are still at an 'early stage' but are understood to relate to claims that women were 'trafficked' to the King's private estate in the Highlands.
Earlier this year, Police Scotland appealed for information after it emerged that the former Duke of York and Maxwell had flown into Edinburgh airport on Epstein's private jet in September 2006. A spokesman for Police Scotland confirmed it had “received information and active enquiries are ongoing”, adding that “these are at a very early stage”.
Background to the Investigation
In February, Police Scotland said it was “keen to speak to anyone with information” about a 2006 flight into Edinburgh Airport when Andrew and Maxwell were on board Epstein’s 'Lolita Express' private jet. Prosecutors in the USA previously released a photo of Epstein and Maxwell lounging together outside a log cabin on the Balmoral estate, taken during a visit to Royal Deeside in 1999.
They were welcomed to the Highlands venue by the former Prince Andrew, who has strenuously denied doing anything wrong. The photograph featured in Maxwell’s trial for recruiting and grooming teenage girls for Epstein between 1994 and 2004. A jury found her guilty of sex trafficking and she is currently serving 20 years in prison. Her conviction came just over two years after Epstein was found dead inside his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges.
Epstein Files and New Evidence
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.” 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'. The log adds that Epstein was 'not on board'. It came two months after he was charged with a sex offence in Florida, resulting in a plea deal that saw him jailed for 18 months for soliciting sex from minors.
Witness Accounts and Wider Police Response
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, and the late monarch was also pictured sitting in the exact same spot. The image – Exhibit GX-347 – is not date-stamped.
In 2019, a woman told the Daily Mail that she was part of a group who came to the UK for a week-long visit in “mid-1999”. Then in her early 20s, the former model said 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 “chitchat”. She added: “He was really nice. He was very polite. [He had his] guard up.” They stayed overnight at the 52-bedroom castle and spent the following day being entertained in the grounds. She described the brush with royalty as being like a “fairytale” but said she avoided any plans Epstein may have had for her on that occasion by retiring early to bed.
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 London. The former prince has always strenuously denied any offence, and his financial settlement with Ms Giuffre did not constitute an admission of wrongdoing. He was stripped of his royal titles in the wake of the Epstein Files scandal last year and later evicted from his home at Royal Lodge. In February, he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in relation to his time as a British trade envoy.
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. Surrey Police has said it was seeking information on an allegation of human trafficking and sexual assault dating back to the mid-1990s.
In February, Police Scotland appealed for information about the 2006 flight into Edinburgh and said: “We have not received any report or complaint in relation to this matter. We would be keen to speak to anyone with information.” When asked whether they were currently investigating the activities of Mountbatten-Windsor, Epstein and Maxwell in Scotland, a Police Scotland spokesperson 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.” In response to the former model’s comments in 2019, a spokesman for the then-Prince Andrew declined to comment on the Balmoral visit. Buckingham Palace was contacted for comment.
