Police Scotland inquiries into Epstein’s 1999 Balmoral stay at ‘very early stage’

Police Scotland inquiries into the time Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell spent at Balmoral have begun, with the force confirming it has received “information” about the visit. It stressed that the work is at a “very early stage”.

The development was first reported by the Daily Express. In a statement, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We have received information and active inquiries are ongoing, but these are at a very early stage. All inquiries are evidence-led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those inquiries.” The force added that it would never confirm details of ongoing inquiries and that further comment would be inappropriate.

What the Balmoral inquiries are said to concern

Police Scotland has not said what the inquiries involve. The Express reported that they relate to claims that women were trafficked to the King’s private Highland estate, a characterisation the force has not confirmed. Epstein and Maxwell stayed at Balmoral in 1999, reportedly as guests of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly the Duke of York. No one has been accused of any offence in connection with the visit.

Photographs released by the US Department of Justice appear to show Epstein and Maxwell outside a log cabin on the estate, thought to be the “Honka Hut” in Ballochbuie Forest. Other images appear to show Andrew and Epstein on a shooting outing. The cabin photograph, which was not date-stamped, was among the exhibits in Maxwell’s US trial. She was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021 and is serving a 20-year sentence. Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting sex from minors and died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting a federal trial.

Emails and a flight log in the Epstein files

Material from the Epstein files released last year has also drawn attention. One email, signed “A” and sent to Maxwell on 16 August 2001, said the sender was at “Balmoral summer camp for the Royal Family” and asked whether she had found “inappropriate friends”. Another sender, using the name “the Invisible Man”, mentioned having “left the RN”. Andrew left the Royal Navy the month before. The sources do not say police have reached any conclusion about who wrote the messages or what they mean.

Flight logs from Epstein’s jet show Andrew and Maxwell flying from Luton to Edinburgh on 1 September 2006, with Epstein recorded as not on board. In February, Police Scotland said it was keen to hear from anyone with information about that flight.

A wider picture across UK forces

The National Police Chiefs’ Council said Thames Valley Police, the Metropolitan Police and Surrey Police also have investigations linked to the release of the Epstein files. It said there is no national investigation at present. It described the process of identifying any further potential offending, suspects, victims or witnesses as “complex” and one that “will take time”.

Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on 19 February, his 66th birthday. The arrest followed allegations that he shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy. That is a separate matter from the Balmoral inquiries. He was interviewed under caution and released under investigation, and the police investigation continues. He denies wrongdoing. Asked about the latest development, Andy Burnham said police investigations “should properly be independent” and that it was not for him to comment.

For now, the Police Scotland inquiries amount to an early-stage assessment of information received, with no suspects or charges announced. Any further detail will depend on what the force chooses, or is able, to say as its work continues.

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