Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is facing another difficult chapter with a new police probe – coming to light just hours after ex-wife Sarah Ferguson made her return to public life.
On Friday, Police Scotland said it had received "information" and has "active enquiries ongoing" into the time the former Duke, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell spent at Balmoral, the King’s private estate in Scotland.
The Daily Express reported that the police force is still at an "early stage" of their investigation, which is understood to relate to claims that women were reportedly "trafficked" to the estate.
Pictures previously released by the Department of Justice in the US appear to show Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein on a shooting trip at the estate.
© Photo: Getty ImagesA Police Scotland spokesperson told HELLO!: "We have received information and active inquiries are ongoing but these are at a very early stage.
"All inquiries are evidence-led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those inquiries.
"We would never confirm details of ongoing inquiries and it would be inappropriate to comment further."
Balmoral, which is located in the Scottish Highlands, has belonged to the royal family since 1852 and was where the late Queen died in 2022.
What do we know about Andrew's stays with Epstein in Balmoral?
Epstein and Maxwell stayed at Balmoral in 1999, reportedly by invitation from the then-Prince Andrew.
That year, a picture was taken of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell outside a log cabin at the Royal Deeside estate. It featured in Ghislaine's trial for sex trafficking, for which she is serving 20 years in prison.
Last year's release of Epstein files by the US department of justice revealed an email from "A" to Ghislaine in August 2001, saying: "I am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family. How’s LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?"
© Patrick McMullanThey also included flight logs from Epstein's private jet, showing that Andrew flew from Luton to Edinburgh with Ghislaine Maxwell on 1 September 2006. In February, Police Scotland appealed for information about the flight.
Andrew, 66, was stripped of his titles last year by his older brother King Charles in the wake of revelations about his friendship with the late paedophile Epstein. He was evicted from his Royal Lodge home in Windsor, and now lives at Marsh Farm on the Sandringham Estate.
He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on February 19, his 66th birthday, following allegations he shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as the UK’s trade envoy.
Andrew was interviewed under caution before being released under investigation, and denies wrongdoing, with the police probe ongoing.
© Getty ImagesHis accuser, Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, reached an out-of-court settlement with the former Prince in 2022 after claiming she had been trafficked to him for sex.
Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.
Sarah Ferguson's return to public life
The new probe has come to light just hours after Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, was seen in public for the first time in six months.
© Getty ImagesSarah, who lost her Duchess of York title alongside Andrew in October 2025, joined Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and their husbands at a memorial service for her ex-boyfriend, Paddy McNally, at St Paul's Church in Knightsbridge on Thursday.
It marked the first time she has been pictured since April, when she was spotted at an Austrian ski resort.
She is now reportedly living in a six-bedroom property in the Home Counties, The Sun previously said.
