Police Scotland has confirmed it is conducting preliminary enquiries into the time Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor spent at Balmoral alongside convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, opening a fresh front in the widening scrutiny of the former prince’s connections to the disgraced financier.
The force said it had received information about the visits to the King’s private Scottish estate and that enquiries were now under way, although it stressed the investigation remained at a very early stage.
A Police Scotland spokesman told GB News: “We have received information and active enquiries are ongoing, but these are at a very early stage.”
The spokesman added that all enquiries were evidence-led, with the needs of victim survivors at their heart, and said it would be inappropriate to comment further.
The development adds to mounting pressure on Mr Mountbatten-Windsor as police forces across Britain examine allegations emerging from the release of material connected to Epstein.
Photographs previously released by the US Department of Justice appeared to show Mr Mountbatten-Windsor and Epstein on a shooting trip at the Balmoral estate. The images have renewed questions about the former royal’s association with the financier, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
In February, Police Scotland separately appealed for information about a flight into Edinburgh Airport in 2006 aboard Epstein’s private aircraft, nicknamed the “Lolita Express”. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor and Maxwell were reportedly among those on board.
At the time, the force said it had received no formal report or complaint about the flight but wanted to hear from anyone who might have relevant information.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently and strenuously denied wrongdoing.
His public standing has collapsed since the Epstein scandal intensified. He was stripped of his royal titles last year and subsequently evicted from Royal Lodge, his former Windsor residence.
In February, he was also arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office relating to his former role as a British trade envoy. That investigation remains ongoing, and no finding of guilt has been made.
The police scrutiny is not confined to Scotland. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has established a UK-wide coordination group to support at least nine forces assessing allegations connected to the Epstein files.
Thames Valley Police is examining an allegation that a woman in her twenties was sent to Britain by Epstein in 2010 for a sexual encounter with Mr Mountbatten-Windsor at Royal Lodge. Surrey Police has also sought information concerning allegations of human trafficking and sexual assault dating back to the mid-1990s.
Both sets of allegations remain matters for police assessment and should not be treated as established facts.
The investigations have also raised questions about the handling of evidence. Earlier this month, Thames Valley Police acknowledged that search warrants used to raid Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s residence on the Sandringham estate and Royal Lodge in February were unlawful.
Documents disclosed during subsequent High Court proceedings indicated that police had feared evidence might be lost if they were required to seek Buckingham Palace’s permission before searching the properties.
Mr Justice Hilliard said on October 8 that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor and the force had reached an agreement that the warrants were unlawful. However, police have since applied to retain evidence gathered during the searches, a move opposed by Mr Mountbatten-Windsor.
A hearing over the evidence is expected to take place in private in 2027.
The latest enquiries at Balmoral mean that scrutiny of the former prince’s association with Epstein now extends to the King’s Scottish estate. Police Scotland has made clear that its work is at an early stage, but the growing number of forces examining separate allegations underlines the scale of the continuing investigation.
GB News said it had contacted Mr Mountbatten-Windsor and Buckingham Palace for comment.
Leave a Comment