Police Scotland opens early enquiries into Balmoral visits

Police Scotland is conducting early-stage enquiries into the time Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor spent at Balmoral with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the force said. Officers have received information and are actively pursuing enquiries, but have not disclosed what prompted them or which potential offences they are examining. Police Scotland described the work as being at a very early stage and said it would not confirm details of ongoing enquiries. The force said its enquiries are evidence-led and take the needs of victim survivors into account. The Daily Express reported that the enquiries concern claims women were trafficked to Balmoral. Police Scotland has not confirmed that allegation or said whether trafficking is among the matters being examined. The claim remains attributed to the newspaper, rather than established by a public police account. Balmoral is a private royal estate in Scotland. Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in 2019, and Maxwell, his associate, were reported to have visited the estate in 1999. Photographs released by the US Department of Justice appear to show Epstein and Maxwell at Balmoral, and some images have been described as showing...