Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been summoned to give evidence as a witness regarding how he obtained around $1 million for his former Swiss ski chalet. This marks the first time in over 150 years that a royal has been issued a witness summons.
A Turkish woman, Nebahat İşbilen, is suing her financial adviser, Selman Turk, accusing him of mismanaging her funds. Turk denies the allegations. İşbilen claims that Turk told her to pay Mountbatten-Windsor for assistance with her Turkish passport. Turk contests this account, stating that İşbilen believed Mountbatten-Windsor would use his connections in Turkey to help her imprisoned husband.
A High Court judge has allowed Turk to summon Mountbatten-Windsor to testify about the money, which was used to fund a Swiss ski chalet. Although Mountbatten-Windsor is not accused in this case, he is under separate investigation in England over misconduct allegations, which he denies.
Author Andrew Lownie told Newsweek, “This is very bad news for the Monarchy. Being paid £750,000 to talk to people in Turkey would breach his responsibilities.”
The trial begins in November, with Mountbatten-Windsor’s testimony expected in mid-December. Newsweek reached out to Mountbatten-Windsor’s legal team for comment.
This event marks the first time since 1870 that a British royal has been summoned to court. If Andrew testifies, he will undergo cross-examination by a lawyer under oath.
The last public questioning of Andrew was in a 2019 BBC interview about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. This case does not relate to Epstein but delves into the sources of Mountbatten-Windsor’s funds.
The High Court, per Judge Adam Johnson, records İşbilen’s allegation of being misled into gifting £750,000 for passport assistance, which İşbilen asserts was false and dishonest. Turk denies wrongdoing, claiming İşbilen made the gift independently, believing it might aid her husband through Mountbatten-Windsor’s connections.
“In March 2021, Mrs İşbilen’s solicitors contacted the Duke, resulting in the repayment of the funds.”
Turk claims Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson attended a dinner with İşbilen where her husband’s imprisonment was discussed along with a potential gift for Princess Beatrice. She intended to gift Beatrice but the Duke indicated no gift was expected. İşbilen eventually gave the money in November 2019.
Mountbatten-Windsor later thanked İşbilen for the gift, Turk claims, adding that further meetings with the Duke involved discussions about İşbilen’s husband’s case. The court is also addressing claims of over £768,000 loaned for the ski chalet. İşbilen and Mountbatten-Windsor settled out of court previously.
An option for Mountbatten-Windsor is to submit a written statement instead of testifying. Allan Maidment, head of regulatory at MSB Solicitors, states that “Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor giving evidence will attract significant interest, particularly with civil fraud allegations at the core.”
Maidment emphasizes that his former royal status does not exempt him from the law. Any questioning will focus solely on relevant case issues. Questions will not extend to other allegations or his personal affairs.
The court aims to concentrate on facts relevant to the case, limiting questioning to significant proceedings. The potential implications of his testimony remain. But taking the stand is an uncomfortable prospect for Mountbatten-Windsor.
Judge Johnson outlines areas Turk’s attorney intends to cover with Mountbatten-Windsor. These include evidence about Mr İşbilen’s imprisonment discussions and the Duke’s knowledge of İşbilen’s gift and loan intentions. Turk’s attorneys welcomed the court’s decision to allow Mountbatten-Windsor’s testimony.
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