Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been served with a summons to give evidence in a £40m High Court trial against a Turkish businessman, with the former duke likely required to divulge significant details of his finances.
Mountbatten-Windsor is caught up in a lawsuit brought by Nebahat İşbilen, a Turkish national, who is suing her former adviser Selman Turk, claiming he misled her over a £750,000 payment made to Mountbatten-Windsor in 2019, which was later paid back, as well as the transfer of her wider wealth.
Turk denies dishonesty and last week made a late bid to be allowed to call Mountbatten-Windsor to give evidence at the trial, subsequently approved by Justice Adam Johnson.
Witness summaries outline the potential evidence a party in proceedings believes a witness could give when they are unable to get them to get a witness statement from them.
The BBC reported that King Charles’ brother, who was stripped of his titles last year, had today been served with the summons, though it is understood Mountbatten-Windsor has the legal right to challenge the request.
Ahead of the civil trial, expected to begin later this month, The i Paper takes a look at three things we could learn from the former prince’s evidence.
How did the ex-Prince meet Turk?
Mountbatten-Windsor had only known alleged fraudster Turk for at least six months before he received the disputed payments from him, the Sunday Telegraph reported in 2022.
He was introduced to Turk in the summer of 2019 at Windsor Castle, the paper reported, where they held subsequent meetings. He also received an award from Mountbatten-Windsor, then Prince Andrew, at his Pitch@Palace event for entrepreneurs in November 2019.
It was nine days after this event that Mountbatten-Windsor received £750,000 from İşbilen’s account.
Mountbatten-Windsor later reached a settlement with İşbilen, leaving no outstanding claims against him, according to a written submission from her lawyers.
Selman Turk made a late bid to be allowed to call Mountbatten-Windsor to give evidence at the trial (Photo: Adam Davy/PA)It was only through the legal proceedings brought by İşbilen that Mountbatten-Windsor’s connection with Turk was revealed. The former Prince has repeatedly denied to comment on the case and his associations with Turk.
His witness statement will be the first time he has publicly spoken about his relationship with Turk and how he was introduced.
Did Mountbatten-Windsor know he was receiving money?
It still remains unclear whether Mountbatten-Windsor was aware of the money entering his personal bank account and whether he knew the full extent of what it was for.
İşbilen is the wife of a former leading politician in Turkey, and now described by her as a political prisoner, remaining in their homeland.
Justice Adam Johnson, in last month’s proceedings approving Mountbatten-Windsor’s input, said it had ”long been” Turk’s case that the £750,000 payment was made of İşbilen’s own accord as she thought the former duke could help with her husband.
Lawyers for İşbilen disputed this and previously told the court that tens of millions of her funds had been misappropriated, with Turk failing to explain where the money had gone.
Evidence provided by Mountbatten-Windsor would be “highly relevant and highly probative”, according to Turk’s lawyers.
The former duke’s own finances
Much is still unknown about Mountbatten-Windsor’s own finances and how he has funded his lifestyle, while having no visible means of financial support. For years his only declared source of income has been a Royal Navy pension for his service between 1979 and 2001, which amounts to around £20,000.
This is despite in 2014 acquiring a lodge in Switzerland for a reported £18m. Mountbatten-Windsor only received official payments from the public purse as a working royal between 1978 and 2010, with the last year totalling £249,000.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s statements in the trial are likely to offer far greater insight into his finances and wealth than available before.
Turk denies any wrongdoing, while there is also no suggestion of wrongdoing on Mountbatten-Windsor’s part.
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