Scottish police probe Andrew, Epstein stay at royal castle: Reports

LONDON: Scottish police are in the "very early stage" of probing the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's reported stay at the royal Balmoral estate at the invitation of ex-prince Andrew, UK media reported Friday (Oct 30).

Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking, is believed to have visited the British monarch's estate in northeast Scotland in 1999 along with his jailed ex-girlfriend and accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.

The pair are thought to have stayed following an invite from Andrew, who has previously acknowledged his friendships with both but has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

"We have received information and active inquiries are ongoing but these are at a very early stage," Police Scotland said in a brief statement to some UK media, without elaborating on the probe.

The Daily Express newspaper reported the inquiries were related to alleged trafficking of women to the Scottish Highlands castle - now the property of King Charles III, but at the time belonging to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

AFP has contacted Police Scotland for comment.

At least ten UK police forces are probing Andrew and Epstein's links to Britain.

Police Scotland had previously appealed for information about Epstein's alleged chartering of private jets to transport women through Edinburgh Airport.

The king last year stripped his brother, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, of royal titles and ousted him from his residence in Windsor amid continued fallout from his ties to Epstein.

The former prince was briefly arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to Epstein, as police searched his properties.

He has denied wrongdoing, and won a legal challenge over the searches this month after police agreed the warrants they obtained were "unlawful" - although the investigation remains ongoing.

The latest line of inquiry, according to the Daily Express which broke the story, was linked to Epstein and Maxwell's reported 1999 visit to Balmoral, with the US probe into Epstein including pictures of him and Maxwell in Balmoral.

Scandal has engulfed the king's younger brother since one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, claimed that she had been trafficked three times to have sex with Andrew when she was a teenager.

The ex-prince has repeatedly denied the claims. He settled a US civil lawsuit in 2022 brought by Giuffre while not admitting liability.

The UK police probes followed new revelations from documents relating to the American financier released by the United States this year, including emails in which Andrew appeared to share potentially confidential information with him.