{"id":"1793386732056-news-segment","slug":"police-open-prince-andrew-epstein-inquiry","title":"Police Open Prince Andrew Epstein Inquiry","summary":"Police Scotland opened an investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's time with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Balmoral Castle after receiving “information.” The force says inquiries are at a very early stage. The Daily Express first reported the matter, saying it relates to claims women were trafficked to the king's private estate. Earlier this year, US Department of Justice files included images appearing to show Epstein and Maxwell on a shooting trip at Balmoral in 1999. In February, Thames Valley Police arrested Andrew on suspicion of misconduct in public office; he was released on bail pending further investigation. He has repeatedly denied committing crimes.\n\nThe investigation follows the wider release of Epstein-related files and fresh information received by Police Scotland. Several UK police forces are examining the documents, and this is part of a broader reopening of scrutiny around Andrew's long-tainted association with Epstein.\n\nA migrant boat that departed Gambia reached El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands early Friday; two men were found dead, a baby was airlifted in critical condition, and 110 survivors were brought ashore.\n\nPolice Scotland confirmed it opened an investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's time at Balmoral with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The force said inquiries are at a very early stage. Joke/personal comment, not a factual claim. Political opinion about the Republican Party; no checkable factual assertion. Figurative/opinion comment, not a factual claim. Opinion/insult, not a checkable factual claim.\n\nAl Jazeera reports Omani authorities rescued 25 people from a burning oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran said it had halted three oil tankers attempting to use unauthorized routes.\n\nAl Jazeera reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for “absolute superiority” in drone capabilities.\n\nPolice Scotland confirmed an investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Epstein and Maxwell at Balmoral","publishedAt":"2026-10-30T18:58:52.056Z","channel":{"id":"news","name":"Oncast News","language":"en"},"show":"Washington","verification":{"status":"verified","leadVerdict":"TRUE","notes":"TRUE: A migrant boat that departed Gambia reached El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands early Friday; two men were found dead, a baby was airlifted in critical condition, and 110 survivors were brought ashore.\nSource: Reuters via [yahoo.com](https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/two-men-dead-baby-critically-131429410.html) NAMES: — (https://x.com/Reuters/status/2116241261963174046)\n\nTRUE: Police Scotland confirmed it opened an investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's time at Balmoral with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The force said inquiries are at a very early stage. Joke/personal comment, not a factual claim. Political opinion about the Republican Party; no checkable factual assertion. Figurative/opinion comment, not a factual claim. Opinion/insult, not a checkable factual claim.\nSource: [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/police-in-scotland-launch-andrew-and-epstein-royal-castle-investigation), [theguardian.com](https://ww (https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/2116242259872276901)\n\nTRUE: Al Jazeera reports Omani authorities rescued 25 people from a burning oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran said it had halted three oil tankers attempting to use unauthorized routes.\nSource: [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/oman-rescues-25-from-burning-oil-tanker-in-strait-of-hormuz?trafficsource=rss) NAMES: Strait of Hormuz (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/oman-rescues-25-from-burning-oil-tanker-in-strait-of-hormuz?traffic_source=rss)\n\nTRUE: Al Jazeera reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for “absolute superiority” in drone capabilities.\nSource: [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/10/30/aje-onl-nfnorth-korea-seeks-absolute-superiority-in-drone-301026?trafficsource=rss) NAMES: K (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/10/30/aje-onl-nf_north-korea-seeks-absolute-superiority-in-drone-301026?traffic_source=rss)\n\nTRUE: Police Scotland confirmed an investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Epstein and Maxwell at Balmoral; the inquiry is at a very early stage.\nSource: [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/police-in-scotland-launch-andrew-and-epstein-royal-castle-investigation), [theguardian.com](https://ww (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/police-in-scotland-launch-andrew-and-epstein-royal-castle-investigation?traffic_source=rss)\n\nTRUE: Al Jazeera reports Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta criticized Max Dowman for a red card in a cup loss at Fleetwood, warning him against treating it like “Disneyland.”\nSource: [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/30/arsenal-boss-arteta-fires-disneyland-warning-at-dowman-after-red-card?trafficsource=rss) NAMES: Mike (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/30/arsenal-boss-arteta-fires-disneyland-warning-at-dowman-after-red-card?traffic_source=rss)","claims":[{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"A migrant boat that departed Gambia reached El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands early Friday; two men were found dead, a baby was airlifted in critical condition, and 110 survivors were brought ashore.","sourceName":"Reuters via [yahoo.com](https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/two-men-dead-baby-critically-131429410.html) NAMES: —","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/Reuters/status/2116241261963174046","claim":"Two men dead, baby critically ill after migrant boat reaches Spain's El Hierro island https://t.co/NcWnFDScZY","author":"@Reuters"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"Police Scotland confirmed it opened an investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's time at Balmoral with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The force said inquiries are at a very early stage. Joke/personal comment, not a factual claim. Political opinion about the Republican Party; no checkable factual assertion. Figurative/opinion comment, not a factual claim. Opinion/insult, not a checkable factual claim.","sourceName":"[aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/police-in-scotland-launch-andrew-and-epstein-royal-castle-investigation), [theguardian.com](https://ww","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/2116242259872276901","claim":"Police in Scotland have opened an investigation into the time the former Prince Andrew spent with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, at the king’s Balmoral estate. Read more https://t.co/Eyk9mxWomM https://t.co/uoovCgWuwA","author":"Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish)"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"Al Jazeera reports Omani authorities rescued 25 people from a burning oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran said it had halted three oil tankers attempting to use unauthorized routes.","sourceName":"[aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/oman-rescues-25-from-burning-oil-tanker-in-strait-of-hormuz?trafficsource=rss) NAMES: Strait of Hormuz","sourceUrl":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/oman-rescues-25-from-burning-oil-tanker-in-strait-of-hormuz?traffic_source=rss","claim":"Oman rescues 25 from burning oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz - Incident comes as Iran says three oil tankers were halted while attempting to use 'unauthorised routes' to cross Hormuz.","author":"Al Jazeera"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"Al Jazeera reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for “absolute superiority” in drone capabilities.","sourceName":"[aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/10/30/aje-onl-nfnorth-korea-seeks-absolute-superiority-in-drone-301026?trafficsource=rss) NAMES: K","sourceUrl":"https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/10/30/aje-onl-nf_north-korea-seeks-absolute-superiority-in-drone-301026?traffic_source=rss","claim":"Kim Jong Un calls for North Korea’s drone technology superiority - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calls for “absolute superiority” in drone capabilities.","author":"Al Jazeera"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"Police Scotland confirmed an investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Epstein and Maxwell at Balmoral; the inquiry is at a very early stage.","sourceName":"[aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/police-in-scotland-launch-andrew-and-epstein-royal-castle-investigation), [theguardian.com](https://ww","sourceUrl":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/police-in-scotland-launch-andrew-and-epstein-royal-castle-investigation?traffic_source=rss","claim":"Police in Scotland launch Andrew and Epstein royal castle investigation - Media reports say the inquiries are related to claims that women were trafficked to the king’s Balmoral estate.","author":"Al Jazeera"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"Al Jazeera reports Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta criticized Max Dowman for a red card in a cup loss at Fleetwood, warning him against treating it like “Disneyland.”","sourceName":"[aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/30/arsenal-boss-arteta-fires-disneyland-warning-at-dowman-after-red-card?trafficsource=rss) NAMES: Mike","sourceUrl":"https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/30/arsenal-boss-arteta-fires-disneyland-warning-at-dowman-after-red-card?traffic_source=rss","claim":"Arsenal boss Arteta fires ‘Disneyland’ warning at Dowman after red card - Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he blasted Max Dowman for red card in shock cup loss at Fleetwood.","author":"Al Jazeera"}]},"sources":[{"url":"https://x.com/Reuters/status/2116241261963174046","name":"Reuters via [yahoo.com](https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/two-men-dead-baby-critically-131429410.html) NAMES: —","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"@Reuters"},{"url":"https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/2116242259872276901","name":"[aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/police-in-scotland-launch-andrew-and-epstein-royal-castle-investigation), [theguardian.com](https://ww","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish)"},{"url":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/oman-rescues-25-from-burning-oil-tanker-in-strait-of-hormuz?traffic_source=rss","name":"[aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/oman-rescues-25-from-burning-oil-tanker-in-strait-of-hormuz?trafficsource=rss) NAMES: Strait of Hormuz","kind":"news","verdict":"TRUE","author":"Al Jazeera"},{"url":"https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/10/30/aje-onl-nf_north-korea-seeks-absolute-superiority-in-drone-301026?traffic_source=rss","name":"[aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/10/30/aje-onl-nfnorth-korea-seeks-absolute-superiority-in-drone-301026?trafficsource=rss) NAMES: K","kind":"news","verdict":"TRUE","author":"Al Jazeera"},{"url":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/police-in-scotland-launch-andrew-and-epstein-royal-castle-investigation?traffic_source=rss","name":"[aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/30/police-in-scotland-launch-andrew-and-epstein-royal-castle-investigation), [theguardian.com](https://ww","kind":"news","verdict":"TRUE","author":"Al Jazeera"},{"url":"https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/30/arsenal-boss-arteta-fires-disneyland-warning-at-dowman-after-red-card?traffic_source=rss","name":"[aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/30/arsenal-boss-arteta-fires-disneyland-warning-at-dowman-after-red-card?trafficsource=rss) NAMES: Mike","kind":"news","verdict":"TRUE","author":"Al Jazeera"}],"url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1793386732056-news-segment-police-open-prince-andrew-epstein-inquiry","listenUrl":"https://oncast.fm/c/news","attribution":{"publisher":"Oncast","site":"https://oncast.fm","url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1793386732056-news-segment-police-open-prince-andrew-epstein-inquiry","cite":"Cite https://oncast.fm/story/1793386732056-news-segment-police-open-prince-andrew-epstein-inquiry and the original source links. Fact-check by Oncast (oncast.fm)."},"hostsSaid":[{"host":"Bella","text":"Police Scotland has opened an investigation into Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell at Balmoral."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Andrew is the king's younger brother. Balmoral is the royal family's private estate in Scotland."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Maxwell is a convicted sex trafficker, Epstein a convicted sex offender before he died."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Al Jazeera English just posted it on X. The force says it received information, and the inquiries are at a very early stage."},{"host":"Bella","text":"The Guardian reports detectives are looking at claims women were trafficked there in 1999."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Andrew has denied wrongdoing. He was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Arrested, released on bail, not charged. That's a legal distinction that matters."},{"host":"Brian","text":"But US Justice Department files showed Epstein and Maxwell on a shooting trip at Balmoral."},{"host":"Bella","text":"So the association is documented. The question is whether it proves a crime now."},{"host":"Brian","text":"It proves this should never have been brushed off as palace embarrassment. Those are trafficking allegations."},{"host":"Bella","text":"And it's overdue. But police saying early stage means exactly that."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Then why did the royal family keep him close for years after Epstein's first conviction?"},{"host":"Bella","text":"Maybe a family protects its own, but that's not a crime. We're not convicting him for bad judgment."},{"host":"Brian","text":"No, we're investigating whether his guests were used to traffic women. That's completely different."},{"host":"Bella","text":"And victims should be at the center. Police Scotland says the inquiries are evidence-led."},{"host":"Brian","text":"I'll give you that. But after Epstein died, many wondered if anyone would be held accountable."},{"host":"Bella","text":"If this inquiry is real, not another royal cycle, then good. I'll wait for charges."},{"host":"Brian","text":"The deeper issue is that the Epstein files appear to have prompted UK police to reopen it."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Exactly. Scrutiny from outside did what the institution would not."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Now to the same ugliness on the water tonight."},{"host":"Bella","text":"On X, Reuters reports two dead after a migrant boat reached Spain's El Hierro."},{"host":"Brian","text":"A baby is critically ill. More than a hundred survivors were brought ashore."},{"host":"Bella","text":"The boat left Gambia. That crossing is brutal."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Spain handles rescue and medical care. But the smugglers still profit."},{"host":"Bella","text":"What border? The boat reached a Spanish island, not a wall."},{"host":"Brian","text":"The sea collected the toll. Harsher enforcement hasn't stopped the boats."},{"host":"Bella","text":"So legal routes and real screening. That's the direction."},{"host":"Brian","text":"And right now a baby is fighting for life. That's the policy debate in one image."},{"host":"Bella","text":"On X, Joseph Ford Cotto posted that the Trump-era Republican Party is heading in the right direction on immigration."},{"host":"Brian","text":"He says politics is about moving in the right direction, not demanding purity on every detail."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Direction matters. Policy can't save everyone, but it can change numbers."},{"host":"Brian","text":"For the family watching a helicopter lift their child, direction is an abstraction."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Oh, come on. That's not an argument. It's a feeling."},{"host":"Brian","text":"No, it's the human cost of years of direction talk with no legal entry for Gambians."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Because Europe can't agree. Spain rescues, Morocco returns, smugglers keep sailing."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Exactly. So maybe the victory lap on direction is premature while the sea is full of bodies."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Fine. Direction without result is hollow. But this boat left Gambia, not Washington."},{"host":"Brian","text":"No one blamed Washington for the boat. I said no side has fixed the route."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Then fix it. I'll focus on the rescue, not the slogan."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Meanwhile, North Korea's Kim Jong Un wants absolute superiority in drones."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Al Jazeera reports it. That phrase should keep Pentagon planners awake."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Reports say the regime has flown drones into South Korean airspace. Now it wants better ones."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Drones are cheap, disposable, and hard to defend against."},{"host":"Brian","text":"And Pyongyang is said to share missile tech too. That could close the gap."},{"host":"Bella","text":"We'll watch it. For now, two stories about human life, and one about a man who wants machines to win."}]}