Mountbatten-Windsor Summons to Give Evidence in High Court Fraud Trial

According to the BBC UK, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been served with a summons requiring him to provide evidence in a fraud trial at the High Court, with the appearance scheduled for around December 15. The witness summons will require Mountbatten-Windsor to give testimony and answer questions in a case where a wealthy woman alleges she was defrauded by her former financial advisor.

While Mountbatten-Windsor is not accused of any wrongdoing, the BBC UK states that he may face difficult inquiries concerning his financial arrangements, as he was reportedly in receipt of some of the disputed payments, including a transfer amounting to £750,000. This court appearance is noted as the first public questioning Mountbatten-Windsor has faced since his BBC Newsnight interview in 2019, and it is believed he may be the first royal since the 19th Century to receive such a witness summons.

The case involves allegations made by Nebahat Isbilen, an elderly Turkish woman, who claims her former advisor, Selman Turk, misled her and utilized her wealth for his own benefit. Turk has strongly refuted any claims of dishonesty. Mountbatten-Windsor is expected to give evidence pertaining to disputed matters concerning the management of Isbilen's money.

Court documents indicate that Isbilen asserted that Turk misled her into transferring £750,000 to Mountbatten-Windsor, under the impression it was for assistance with a passport. Turk has denied this assertion, stating the payment was a gift made by Isbilen herself to foster goodwill with the then duke and had no connection to a passport. The case encompasses payments made near the conclusion of his tenure as a working royal.

The transfer of funds occurred the day after Mountbatten-Windsor recorded his BBC Newsnight interview, which was broadcast the following night, and was soon followed by the then Duke of York stepping down from royal duties. Although Isbilen's lawyers contacted the then Prince Andrew in 2021 and the money was reportedly returned, the upcoming court proceedings will examine claims regarding Turk's conduct, with Mountbatten-Windsor positioned as a key witness.

Court records also show questions will be raised about another substantial sum taken from Isbilen's account, approximately £768,000 in January 2020. Turk has contended that this amount constituted a loan to Mountbatten-Windsor for the purchase of a chalet in Switzerland, a claim that Isbilen contests and which was previously challenged during earlier court hearings. Turk had met Mountbatten-Windsor in the autumn of 2019 through the Pitch@Palace initiative, a pitching event modeled after Dragon's Den hosted by the former duke, which subsequently led to social gatherings involving Turk and his family, Isbilen, and the then Duke and Duchess of York.

Justice Adam Johnson stated that due to the gravity of the allegations, Turk should have access to