Scottish police have started investigating the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s 1999 visit to the royal Balmoral estate, where he stayed as a guest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew.

Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking, visited the estate in northeast Scotland with his jailed former girlfriend and accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.

The pair stayed at the property following an invitation from Andrew, who has acknowledged his friendships with both but has denied all 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 on Friday.

Trafficking allegations

The Daily Express reported the inquiry focuses on alleged trafficking of women to the Scottish Highlands castle, which now belongs to King Charles III but belonged to Queen Elizabeth II in 1999.

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

Pictures of Epstein and Maxwell at Balmoral formed part of the US investigation into the convicted sex offender.

Ten police forces investigating

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

The investigations followed new revelations from documents released by the United States this year, including emails in which Andrew appeared to share potentially confidential information with Epstein.

Andrew (66) was briefly arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to Epstein, and police searched his properties.

He won a legal challenge over the searches this month after police agreed the warrants they obtained were “unlawful”, though the investigation remains ongoing.

ALSO READ: Ex-prince Andrew leaves Windsor home amid renewed Epstein scrutiny

Stripped of titles

King Charles last year stripped his younger brother of royal titles and removed him from his residence in Windsor amid continued fallout from his ties to Epstein.

Scandal has surrounded Andrew since Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s accusers, claimed she had been trafficked three times to have sex with him when she was a teenager.

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

Maxwell (64) is serving a 20-year prison sentence in the United States after being convicted in 2021 of child sex trafficking.

ALSO READ: Epstein accomplice Maxwell loses bid to overturn US conviction