Police Scotland Investigating Andrew's Time With Epstein and Maxwell at Balmoral
Photo: The GuardianPolice Scotland said on 30 October 2026 that it has received information and has active inquiries under way, at a very early stage, into time that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor spent with the late Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at the King's private Balmoral estate. A force spokesperson said all inquiries are evidence-led, with the needs of victim survivors at their heart, and that it would not confirm details of ongoing inquiries or comment further. The Daily Express has reported that the inquiries relate to claims that women were trafficked to the estate. Photos released by the US Department of Justice appear to show Mountbatten-Windsor and Epstein on a shooting trip there. The National Police Chiefs' Council confirmed that several forces, including Thames Valley, the Metropolitan and Surrey police, have live investigations linked to the release of the Epstein files, and said identifying further potential offending, suspects, victims or witnesses is complex and will take time.
The right-leaning Daily Mail leads with the trafficking claims and describes a new police probe facing Mountbatten-Windsor. It adds historical detail the other coverage does not carry in its opening: a 2006 private jet flight to Balmoral said to involve Mountbatten-Windsor and Maxwell, a 1999 log cabin picture of Epstein and Maxwell released by US prosecutors, and a recent photo of Mountbatten-Windsor driving in Norfolk. The left-leaning Guardian uses the same Police Scotland statement and also mentions the trafficking claim, but attributes it to the Daily Express. It leads with the police confirmation and gives more space to the National Police Chiefs' Council and the other forces' investigations, placing Balmoral within a wider UK policing response. Both quote the same spokesperson and cite the Department of Justice photos. NewsNation, the alternative source, runs a short report matching the basic account that police are investigating his time at the estate with Epstein and Maxwell.
How the sides differ Right sources stress trafficking claims and photo and flight details; left sources add the national police picture of multiple forces; alternative sources give a brief summary.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
The Guardian leads with Police Scotland's confirmation of information received, quotes its statement, attributes the trafficking claim to the Daily Express, and adds the NPCC's account of several forces' Epstein-related investigations.
NewsNation gives a brief report that Scottish police are investigating the former prince's time at Balmoral with Epstein and Maxwell, without further detail in the excerpt.
The Daily Mail leads with a new police probe and trafficking claims, adding the 2006 jet flight, the 1999 log cabin photo and the Department of Justice shooting-trip images.