Police investigate former Prince Andrew's stays with Epstein, Maxwell at Balmoral
- 'We have received information and active enquiries are ongoing but these are at a very early stage,' says Police Scotland
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- 'We have received information and active enquiries are ongoing but these are at a very early stage,' says Police Scotland
By Aysu Bicer
LONDON (AA) - Police in Scotland are investigating information relating to former Prince Andrew’s stays at Balmoral Castle with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, according to Police Scotland.
Epstein and Maxwell reportedly visited the royal estate in the Scottish Highlands in 1999 after being invited by Andrew, who was then a prince.
A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed that the force had received information and launched enquiries.
"We have received information and active enquiries are ongoing but these are at a very early stage," the spokesperson told Sky News.
"All enquiries are evidence led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those enquiries. We would never confirm details of ongoing enquiries and it would be inappropriate to comment further," the spokesperson added.
Balmoral Castle has been owned by the British royal family since 1852. Located in the Scottish Highlands, the estate was also where Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 in 2022.
Late last year, King Charles stripped his brother of his princely title and dukedom over his association with Epstein, who was convicted of sex offenses.
He was arrested by Thames Valley Police in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to sharing confidential material with the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. He denies any wrongdoing.
The warrants were issued before his arrest, and his lawyers challenged their lawfulness.
Mountbatten-Windsor later launched legal action against Thames Valley Police to challenge the validity of the search warrants that led to his arrest.
According to files released in January, Andrew sent Epstein details of his upcoming official trips as trade envoy to Singapore, Vietnam, the Chinese city of Shenzhen and Hong Kong in October 2010.
The files indicated that the following month he shared what appeared to be official reports from the trips.
Aysu Biçer