Balmoral Inquiry: Can Police Investigate the Crown's Private Estate?

Police Scotland has opened an investigation into the time Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor spent at Balmoral, the royal family's private estate in Scotland. The force said it received information and that the probe is at a "very early stage." The Daily Express first reported the inquiries relate to claims that women were trafficked to the estate.

Photographs released by the U.S. Department of Justice appear to show Epstein and Maxwell at Glen Beg lodge on the estate, and Andrew and Epstein on a shooting trip. Flight logs show Epstein and Maxwell flying to Edinburgh Airport in 2006 with two other passengers. Andrew has consistently denied wrongdoing.

Police Scotland has not said what specific information prompted the investigation, what offenses are being examined, or whether charges are likely. The force has confirmed only that inquiries are active and at an early stage.

The investigation opens a new legal front for Andrew, who was arrested in February 2026 on suspicion of misconduct in public office and released under investigation. He was stripped of his titles, including "prince," in October 2025 amid pressure over his ties to Epstein. He remains eighth in line to the throne.

The U.K. government is considering legislation to remove Andrew from the line of succession.

The case also raises a question with little recent precedent: whether the Crown's private property is subject to ordinary criminal investigation.

Much coverage frames the inquiry as another chapter in Andrew's Epstein saga.

What prompted the investigation, what offenses are being examined, and whether it will lead to charges against Andrew, Epstein's estate, or others are not yet known. Police Scotland has said only that it received information and that inquiries are at a very early stage.