Police Scotland announced the opening of an investigation into activities involving the former prince at the king’s Balmoral estate in the Scottish Highlands. The force stated that inquiries were launched after receiving information and described the investigation as being in a very early stage, declining to provide specifics about the source material or the offences under examination.
Media reports indicated the investigation relates to allegations that women were trafficked to the private royal property. Photographs released earlier this year by the United States Department of Justice appeared to document Epstein and Maxwell at Balmoral in 1999, among millions of pages of documents made public as Congress examined Epstein’s associations with politicians, business leaders, and other prominent figures internationally. Authorities noted that inclusion of names or images in such files does not constitute evidence of criminal conduct.
Multiple UK police forces have launched related inquiries based on materials from the government documents. In February, Thames Valley Police arrested the former prince, now identified as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, on suspicion of misconduct in public office stemming from the released information. The 66-year-old was detained for several hours before being released on bail pending further investigation, marking the first arrest of a senior British royal in nearly four centuries.
The former prince has consistently denied any wrongdoing. His connections to Epstein have troubled the royal family for nearly two decades. Late last year, before the document release, the king moved to mitigate reputational damage by removing his brother’s princely title and ordering him to vacate the Royal Lodge near Windsor Castle, with the former prince relocating to Sandringham estate.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s standing has suffered since 2008, when Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution. Virginia Giuffre alleged in 2011 that she was trafficked by Epstein and coerced into sexual contact with Mountbatten-Windsor at age 17. A 2019 BBC interview intended to address the matter drew criticism for unconvincing explanations and perceived lack of concern for victims.
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