Scotland investigates Epstein's and Andre's visits to Balmoral

The Scottish police are investigating the period when André Mountbatten-Windsor received Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Balmoral Castle. According to the British newspaper Express, possible human trafficking to the King's private property in the early 2000s is at issue. The investigation is in an early stage; local police are advancing it, and contacted by the BBC, they confirmed that they have "received information and an inquiry is underway." "All investigations are guided by evidence, taking into account the needs of the surviving victims," the authorities also say, stating it is "inappropriate to make further comments" on the matter at this time. In February, the Scottish police had already confirmed that they were open to speaking with people who had information about a flight of the Lolita Express, Epstein's private jet, which had landed at Edinburgh Airport in 2006, bringing André and Ghislaine. There is also a photograph made public through the release of the Epstein case files that shows the couple from the outside of a cabin on the King's private property in Balmoral, where the Royal family usually spends the summers. It is believed that the photograph is from a visit made in 1999. André is already the subject of an investigation in England, conducted by the police in the Thames Valley, which, in May, revealed that they were hearing allegations related to sexual misconduct. Besides the case of Virginia Giuffre, the woman who was brought to London at the age of 17 in the early 2000s, there are two other cases involving André that have come to light: an incident at Royal Ascot in 2002 and a woman who was taken to a residence on the royal property in Windsor in 2010. André's relationship with Epstein and Maxwell was quite close in the early 2000s, as proven by the various photographs and email exchanges between the three, revealed in the case files released by the U.S. Department of State. In 2006, for example, the couple were at Princess Beatrice's 18th birthday party at Windsor Castle—having participated in a private cocktail at the residence of the then Dukes of York, the Royal Lodge. In February, André was arrested for searches of his two most recent residences—the mansion in Windsor and a smaller house where he lived in Sandringham. However, the High Court of London recently determined that the search warrants used by the police were issued in error. The validity of the evidence seized will only be analyzed in 2027.