Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been served with a witness summons compelling him to give evidence in a High Court civil fraud trial around December 15, according to Sky News and BBC reporting. He is expected to appear in person or by video. Andrew is not accused of wrongdoing.
What is new
- The order: Andrew has been served with a witness summons, not merely invited to testify.
- Expected timing: His evidence is expected around December 15, either in court or by video.
- His role: He is a witness in a civil case. He is not a defendant and is not accused of wrongdoing.
Why Andrew is being called
The case concerns claims brought by Turkish businesswoman Nebahat Evyap İşbilen against her former adviser, Selman Turk. Mrs. İşbilen alleges that Mr. Turk misled her and used her money for his own interests. Mr. Turk strongly denies the allegations.
One disputed issue is a £750,000 payment made to Andrew in 2019 and later repaid. Mrs. İşbilen says she was misled about the purpose of that payment. Mr. Turk disputes that account and says she initiated the payment to build goodwill with Andrew.
A High Court judge ruled on October 23 that Mr. Turk could rely on a witness summary and call Andrew. The court said the proposed evidence appeared capable of being relevant to the disputed issues. The ruling did not decide whether any allegation is true or establish what Andrew will say.
What a witness summons means
A witness summons is a court order requiring a person to attend and give evidence or produce documents. It does not mean that the witness has been accused of an offense. In this case, the order concerns Andrew’s evidence in a civil dispute between Mrs. İşbilen and Mr. Turk.
What happens next
Sky News reported late Tuesday, November 3, that Andrew had been served and is expected to give evidence around December 15. The trial is due to begin later in November, with his evidence to follow several weeks later.
Andrew’s representatives had not issued a public response when the first reports appeared. Sky said it had approached him for comment. We will update this article if Andrew or the Palace responds, or if the court changes the timetable.
A rare royal court appearance
Lawyers for Mr. Turk say they believe this is the first time since the future King Edward VII was summoned in the 1870 Mordaunt divorce case that a member of the Royal Family has been subject to a witness summons. The appearance would also be Andrew’s first known public questioning since his 2019 BBC Newsnight interview.
This civil case is separate from the October High Court ruling that found police search warrants connected to an Epstein investigation were unlawful. Readers can also see Andrew’s place in the House of Windsor on our British Royal Family Tree.
Sources
- Sky News: Andrew served with witness summons and expected timetable
- Janes Solicitors: October 23 High Court ruling and legal context
- Outer Temple Chambers: permission to call Andrew as a witness
Featured image: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in an archive photograph from June 2012. Photo: Carfax2/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. The photograph is illustrative and does not depict the current court case.
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