The force says its inquiries are at a “very early stage”. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who reportedly hosted the pair at the royal estate, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Police Scotland is making inquiries into a visit by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to Balmoral Castle, where they reportedly stayed as guests of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The force said on Friday that it had received “information” and that active inquiries were under way, but stressed they were at a very early stage.
Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Duke of York, has consistently denied any wrongdoing linked to his association with Epstein.
“We have received information and active inquiries are ongoing, but these are at a very early stage,” a Police Scotland spokesperson said.
“All inquiries are evidence-led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those inquiries. We would never confirm details of ongoing inquiries and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
The Daily Express reported that the inquiries relate to claims that women were trafficked to the Aberdeenshire estate. Police Scotland has not said what its inquiries concern.
Epstein and Maxwell stayed at Balmoral in 1999, when Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly invited them to the castle. The royal family traditionally spends the summer at the estate, where Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022.
Photographs released by the US Department of Justice appear to show Epstein and Maxwell at Balmoral, and Mountbatten-Windsor and Epstein shooting on the estate.
Among the files released by the US Department of Justice last year was an email to Maxwell dated 16 August 2001 and signed “A”. It began: “I am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family.”
Later in the email, the sender asked: “How’s LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?” The email does not give the sender’s full name.
Several other forces, including Thames Valley Police, the Metropolitan Police and Surrey Police, are carrying out inquiries linked to the release of the Epstein files, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) confirmed. There is no national investigation.
“Identifying any further potential offending, suspects, victims or witnesses is a complex process and will take time, but UK policing remains committed to carrying out a meticulous assessment of the material released by the US Department of Justice,” an NPCC spokesperson said.
In February, Police Scotland appealed for information about Epstein’s private jet using Edinburgh Airport. Officers said at the time that they had received no reports or complaints about the trip.
Flight logs show that Mountbatten-Windsor and Maxwell flew from Luton to Edinburgh on Epstein’s jet, with two other passengers, on 1 September 2006.
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on 19 February, his 66th birthday, over allegations that he shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy. He was interviewed under caution and released under investigation.
He denies wrongdoing, and that investigation is continuing. Earlier this month, it emerged that he was taking legal action against Thames Valley Police over search warrants issued before his arrest.
He was the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment from 2001 until 2011, when he stepped down amid controversy over his friendship with Epstein.
Last October, he was stripped of his “prince” title, and it was announced that he would leave Royal Lodge, his Windsor home.
Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 of procuring a minor for prostitution. He died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking a minor and was jailed for 20 years in 2022 for her role in recruiting girls for Epstein.
In 2022, Mountbatten-Windsor settled a US civil lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, who said she had been trafficked to him at Maxwell’s London home when she was 17. He paid an undisclosed sum, reported to be millions of pounds, and has said he never met her. The settlement included no admission of liability. Giuffre died in April 2025.