Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been ordered to give evidence in a High Court fraud dispute involving a Turkish businessman.
Nebahat Isbilen, an elderly Turkish millionaire, alleges that Selman Turk, her former financial adviser, deceived her over a £750,000 payment made to the former royal in 2019.
Before the trial, Mr Turk asked the court to compel Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to testify.
A summons issued this week requires him to appear at the High Court in mid-December, either in person or via video link, the BBC reported.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor is not accused of wrongdoing, and the proceedings do not concern allegations against him.
However, he is expected to face questions about his financial affairs.
He is believed to be the first member of the royal family since the 19th century to receive such a witness summons.
The judge had previously said it was “unlikely that a person in the position of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor would wish voluntarily” to give evidence in the case.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been summoned to give evidence in a High Court fraud case involving a Turkish businessman
In her complex and long-running High Court claim, Mrs Isbilen alleges that Mr Turk misappropriated millions of pounds from her.
The York family became involved in the dispute after Mr Turk arranged payments of £350,000 to Andrew, £225,000 to the Duchess of York, £25,000 to Princess Eugenie and a £750,000 “gift” for Princess Beatrice’s wedding.
There has been no allegation of wrongdoing against the Yorks. In 2023, they reached an agreement with Mrs Isbilen to repay an undisclosed sum.
Mrs Isbilen, 81, claims Mr Turk, who formerly advised her, misrepresented the nature of payments made to the then Duke of York and members of his family in 2019.
She alleges that the banker diverted her money after she left Turkey to live in the UK. Documents obtained by her lawyers are said to indicate that substantial sums from her accounts were transferred to the household of the former Duke of York.
Mr Turk denies the allegations. His legal team argues that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor could help support his account of events, and applied for permission to call him as a witness despite the likelihood that he would prefer not to become involved.
In a judgment issued on October 23, Mr Justice Johnson granted Mr Turk permission to seek evidence from the former prince.
The judge said: “Given the seriousness of the allegations, both on their own terms and in light of their wider impact, fairness requires that Mr Turk should be afforded an opportunity of putting forward his own case, using the evidence he considers relevant and material.”
He said his ruling was “to give Mr Turk permission to seek to call evidence from Mr Mountbatten-Windsor”, adding: “In practice this will likely involve him issuing a witness summons, which can be done without further permission of the Court provided the summons is issued more than seven days before the start of trial.”
The trial was scheduled to begin during the week of November 16.
The judge had earlier indicated that a witness summons would “likely” be necessary to force Andrew to testify.
He said: “I am content to find on the balance of probabilities that, had he been asked, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor would have declined to provide a witness statement.
“It is highly unlikely that a person in the position of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor would wish voluntarily to provide a witness statement and give evidence at a trial in public proceedings involving payments made by the wife of a person said to be a political prisoner in Turkey, in connection with a dispute about the reason the payments were made.”
Lawyers for Mrs Isbilen have previously told the London court that tens of millions of pounds belonging to her were misappropriated, while Mr Turk allegedly failed to account for the money.
The court was also told by Mrs Isbilen’s legal team that “money was used for purposes unconnected with Mrs Isbilen, eg, substantial sums were paid to Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and to Sarah, Duchess of York”.
In 2023, the court heard that Mrs Isbilen had reached a “settlement” with the then Duke and Duchess of York.
