Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor may be called to give evidence in a London High Court fraud trial involving allegations against Turkish businessman Selman Turk, a judge has ruled.
The case has been brought by fellow Turkish national Nebahat Isbilen, who alleges that Mr Turk, her former adviser, misled her over a £750,000 payment made to the then Duke of York in 2019. The money was later repaid.
Mr Turk denies dishonesty and had applied for permission to rely on evidence from Mr Mountbatten-Windsor when the trial begins in November.
In a ruling on Friday, Mr Justice Adam Johnson allowed Mr Turk to rely on a witness summary and gave him permission to seek evidence from the former duke.
Witness summaries set out the evidence a party believes a witness could provide when it has been unable to obtain a formal witness statement from them.
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.”
Although Mr Turk had made the application late, the judge said the evidence from Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was “limited in scope” and could be accommodated within the 11-week trial.
Lawyers for Ms Isbilen have previously told the High Court that tens of millions of pounds of her money had been misappropriated, with Mr Turk allegedly failing to explain what had happened to the funds.
They also said that money had been used for purposes unconnected with Ms Isbilen, including “substantial sums” paid to the Duke and Duchess of York.
It has long been Mr Turk’s case that the £750,000 payment was made at Ms Isbilen’s own request because she believed Mr Mountbatten-Windsor could help her husband, whom she claims had been the victim of political persecution in Turkey.
The court was told in 2023 that there had been a “settlement” between Ms Isbilen and the then Duke and Duchess of York.
