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Police Scotland Investigates Epstein and Maxwell's Balmoral Visits
Confirmed
In Short: Police Scotland is conducting active inquiries into the activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell during their visits to Balmoral Castle, the royal family's Scottish retreat.
Police Scotland is conducting active inquiries into the activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell during their visits to Balmoral Castle, the royal family's Scottish retreat. Epstein died in 2019, and Maxwell was jailed in 2022 for sex trafficking.
An image released by the US Department of Justice shows Epstein and Maxwell at Balmoral, though the exact date is unclear. The image was part of Maxwell's sex trafficking trial evidence.
Representatives of Andrew, the Duke of York, have been contacted for comment. Andrew has previously denied any wrongdoing and has consistently maintained his innocence.
The inquiries are centered on survivor needs and are evidence-led. A Police Scotland spokesperson stated that all investigations remain focused on the needs of victim survivors.
The investigation follows reports that Epstein and Maxwell visited Balmoral as guests of Andrew. The US Department of Justice has released photographs showing Epstein and Maxwell relaxing inside Glen Beg lodge on the estate grounds.
Additionally, images show Andrew and Epstein participating in a shooting trip in the area. Flight logs reportedly place Andrew and Maxwell on Epstein's jet to Edinburgh in 2006.
Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in February 2023, after allegations he shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as a UK trade envoy.
The investigation is at a very early stage, and Police Scotland has received information on Epstein and Maxwell's stay at the royal estate.
The royal family traditionally spends summer at Balmoral, where Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022.
The investigation is part of a broader inquiry into Epstein's ties to the royal family and the alleged trafficking of women to the estate.
What this adds
Police Scotland's investigation is focused on the alleged trafficking of women to Balmoral during Epstein and Maxwell's visits, though the exact nature of these allegations remains unclear.
Background
Police Scotland, formally the Police Service of Scotland, is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and crime prevention in Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist services of the Scottish Police Services Authority, including the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency.
What's confirmed
- Later in the email, the sender asks: "How's LA. Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?" before signing off "see ya A xxx".
- Photographs released as part of US Department of Justice filings show Epstein and Maxwell relaxing inside Glen Beg lodge on the estate grounds, alongside images showing Andrew and Epstein participating in a shooting trip in the area.
- "All inquiries are evidence led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those inquiries," said a rep, per the Guardian.
- "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. We would never confirm details of ongoing enquiries and it would be inappropriate to comment further."
What's still developing
- In February, the force said it wanted to "speak to anyone with information" about Epstein's private jet using Edinburgh Airport.
- Unsealed email disclosures include a message sent from Balmoral in August 2001, signed “A,” asking Maxwell whether she had located any “inappropriate friends” for him.
- Thames Valley officials have been looking into Andrew's alleged encounter with a woman at Royal Ascot in 2002.
- Andrew -- who was stripped of his title by King Charles -- has been accused of having sex with Giuffre multiple times starting when she was just 17.
- The late Epstein, who was convicted in 2008 of soliciting sex from girls, and Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking a minor, stayed at Balmoral in 1999.
- Epstein and Maxwell were reportedly accompanied by an unspecified number of young women.