Police Scotland launch early-stage inquiry into Prince Andrew's Balmoral visit with Jeffrey Epstein

Police Scotland announced on Friday that it is conducting inquiries into the former Prince Andrew's visit to the Balmoral estate with the late Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The police described the investigations as being at a “very early stage” and said they are evidence-led, with the needs of victim survivors central to the process. > "All inquiries are evidence-led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those inquiries," the force said in a statement, adding that it would not confirm details of ongoing inquiries. Images released earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Justice appeared to show the former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, on a shooting trip at the estate with Epstein. In February, Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested and detained for several hours by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to his association with Epstein, marking the first arrest of a senior British royal in nearly four centuries.