Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Summoned to Testify in London Fraud Trial

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Duke of York, has been served with a witness summons requiring him to give evidence in a fraud trial at the High Court on or around Dec. 15, the BBC understands. He is not accused of wrongdoing, but he is expected to face questions about money that passed to him from a wealthy woman's account.

It would be his first public questioning since his BBC Newsnight interview in 2019, according to the BBC. The broadcaster also reported that he is believed to be the first royal since the 19th century to receive such a summons.

What the case is about

The trial centers on claims by Nebahat Isbilen, an elderly Turkish woman. She says her former financial adviser, Selman Turk, misled her and used her wealth for his own benefit. Turk strongly denies dishonesty, and his representatives, Janes Solicitors, say he looks forward to being cleared in court.

The BBC reported that the trial is expected to start in mid-November. Mountbatten-Windsor would appear as a witness around Dec. 15. Witnesses usually attend in person, though a video link is possible.

The payments at issue

According to court documents cited by the BBC, Isbilen claims Turk misled her into paying £750,000 to Mountbatten-Windsor, on the belief that the money was to help with a passport. Turk denies this. He says the payment was a gift Isbilen made on her own initiative to build goodwill with the then duke, and that it had nothing to do with a passport.

The BBC said the transfer came the day after Mountbatten-Windsor recorded the Newsnight interview, which aired the following night. He stepped back from royal duties soon afterward. In 2021, Isbilen's lawyers contacted the then Prince Andrew, and the money was paid back, the BBC reported.

Court documents also point to a second sum of around £768,000 paid from Isbilen's account in January 2020. Turk has said it was a loan to Mountbatten-Windsor for buying a chalet in Switzerland. Isbilen contests that account, and it was challenged in earlier hearings, according to the BBC.

How he came to be summoned

Turk met Mountbatten-Windsor in autumn 2019 through Pitch@Palace, a pitching event modeled on the TV show Dragon's Den and run by the former duke, the BBC said. That led to social gatherings involving Turk and his family, Isbilen, and the then Duke and Duchess of York.

Last month, a judge gave permission for Mountbatten-Windsor to be called as a witness. Justice Adam Johnson said that, given the seriousness of the allegations, Turk should have access to "the evidence he considers relevant and material." Turk wanted to use Mountbatten-Windsor's evidence and secured the summons for that purpose. The summons was issued this week. The BBC said Mountbatten-Windsor has been approached for a response.

Why it matters

Questions about Mountbatten-Windsor's personal finances have persisted for years, along with criticism of a lack of transparency, the BBC reported. Testifying under oath in open court would give the public a rare chance to hear him explain his financial dealings in his own words.

It would also be the first time he has spoken publicly since losing his titles. The BBC said that is likely to draw widespread media coverage.

The trial itself will not decide any charge against him. It will weigh claims about Turk's conduct, but Mountbatten-Windsor is expected to be a significant witness on the disputed payments.

What happens next

The High Court trial is expected to begin later this month. Mountbatten-Windsor is due to give evidence on or around Dec. 15, and whether he appears in person or by video has not been confirmed.

Around Prague, based on reporting by BBC News