Scottish police are investigating what happened when convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell visited ex-Prince Andrew at Balmoral Castle, the private estate of Britain's royal family.
The probe, which is believed to relate to claims that women were trafficked to the King's Highland home, wasfirst reported by the Daily Express Oct. 30.
Epstein died in 2019 from an apparent suicide as he was being held in jail awaiting federal sex trafficking charges, while disgraced British socialite Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping procure girls for Epstein. Both have been closely linked to the king's younger brother and reportedly spent time at royal residences in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
An image released as part of the Epstein files appeared to show the three of them spending time at Balmoral in 1999.
In an Oct. 30 statement to USA TODAY, a police spokesperson said "all enquiries are evidence led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those inquiries."
Police noted that inquiries are still at "a very early stage" and that "it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
In February, police appealed for information after it was revealed that Andrew and Maxwell flew into Edinburgh airport using Epstein's private jet in September 2006.
An email released as part of the Epstein files last year, asked Maxwell for “new inappropriate friends” and was signed simply as: “A.”
Andrew, who was stripped of his royal titles and evicted from his sprawling royal mansion over his links to Epstein, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public life. He is accused of passing sensitive information to Epstein during his time as a UK trade envoy, a role he held for a decade.
The 66-year-old remains under police investigation and lives in near-exile in Norfolk, about two hours outside of London. In May, British police widened their prob, saying they were also assessing claims of misconduct including potential sexual crimes.
Andrew denies the allegations against him.
Traditionally, the royal family spend the summer holidays at Balmoral, which is reportedly worth more than $107 million and has 52 bedrooms. The landmark, complete with many towers and turrets, was purchased for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral in September 2022 at the age of 96.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What happened when Epstein visited ex-Prince Andrew at Balmoral Castle? Police investigate
