Scotland Opens Probe into Royal Estate Visits by Epstein and Maxwell

Police Scotland opened an investigation on Friday into the time Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell spent at the Balmoral estate in the Scottish Highlands. The inquiry follows the release of images by the U.S. Department of Justice showing the pair on a shooting trip at the property in 1999. The photos were part of millions of pages of documents published earlier this year as Congress examined Epstein's connections to political and business figures.

The force stated that the probe began after it received specific information regarding the visits. Officials described the investigation as being in a very early stage. They did not specify the nature of the information or the particular offenses under review. A statement from Police Scotland noted that all inquiries are evidence-led and centered on the needs of victim survivors.

The Daily Express first reported the launch of the Scottish inquiry. The paper indicated the investigation relates to claims that women were trafficked to the king's private estate. Police Scotland declined to confirm details of the ongoing work, citing standard protocol for active investigations.

Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince and younger brother of King Charles III, was previously arrested by Thames Valley Police in February. Officers detained him on suspicion of misconduct in public office based on information from the Epstein files. He was held for several hours before being released on police bail. This marked the first arrest of a senior British royal in nearly four centuries.

The former prince, now 66, has consistently denied committing any crimes. His relationship with Epstein has strained the monarchy since 2008, when the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution. In 2011, Virginia Giuffre alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor at age 17.

In response to the scandal, King Charles III stripped his brother of his princely title late last year. Mountbatten-Windsor was also ordered to leave the Royal Lodge near Windsor Castle. He now resides in a house at Sandringham, the king's privately owned estate in eastern England. Other UK police forces, including London's Metropolitan Police Service and Surrey Police, are also investigating information from the same document release.

The presence of a name or image in the Epstein files does not constitute proof of wrongdoing. Mountbatten-Windsor previously attempted to address the controversy in a 2019 BBC interview. That strategy drew criticism for perceived lack of empathy and implausible explanations of his behavior.