Scottish Police Investigate Epstein Visit to Balmoral
The inquiry follows claims that women were trafficked to the monarch's private Highland estate during a 1999 shooting trip.
By Fatima Popov ·
Police Scotland has opened a formal investigation into the 1999 visit by the late Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to Balmoral, the private estate of King Charles III in the Scottish Highlands. The force announced the probe on Friday, stating it began after receiving specific information about the events at the site.
The inquiry focuses on allegations that women were trafficked to the royal property. According to the Daily Express, which first reported the matter, the police are examining these specific claims. Police Scotland described the investigation as being at a very early stage. The force did not specify which offenses are under review or provide details about the information that triggered the probe.
The investigation is partly prompted by images released by the U.S. Department of Justice. These photos show Epstein and Maxwell on a shooting trip at Balmoral in 1999. The images were part of millions of pages of documents published earlier this year while Congress examined Epstein’s connections to global leaders and business figures. Officials noted that the presence of a name or image in these files does not automatically prove wrongdoing.
This is not the only active police review of the Epstein files in the United Kingdom. The Metropolitan Police Service, Thames Valley Police, and Surrey Police are all investigating information from the same documents. In February, Thames Valley officers arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was held for several hours before being released on police bail.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s legal issues stem from his long association with Epstein, which has strained the royal family for nearly twenty years. In 2011, Virginia Giuffre alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with the former prince when she was 17. Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008. The former prince has consistently denied committing any crimes.
King Charles III took steps to distance the monarchy from the scandal late last year. He stripped his brother of his princely title and ordered him to leave Royal Lodge, his longtime home near Windsor Castle. Mountbatten-Windsor now resides in a house at Sandringham, another private estate owned by the king in eastern England. The king’s move came as U.S. authorities prepared to release further documents from their long-running Epstein investigation.
The former prince’s public handling of the situation has drawn criticism, particularly after a 2019 BBC interview where he attempted to explain his relationship with Epstein. Critics argued his responses lacked empathy for victims and offered explanations that many found implausible. This incident contributed to the tarnishing of his reputation in the years since Epstein’s 2008 plea deal.
Source: Boston Herald
