Scottish police conduct probes into ex-Prince Andrew

Police in Scotland are conducting inquiries into the time former Prince Andrew spent at the king’s private estate at Balmoral with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, authorities said on Friday.

Police Scotland said the inquiries were at a “very early stage.’’ “All inquiries are evidence-led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those inquiries,’’ police said in a statement. “We would never confirm details of ongoing inquiries, and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

Images released earlier this year by the US Department appeared to show the former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, on a shooting trip at the estate with Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested and held for hours by British police in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his links to Epstein.