- Princess Beatrice and Eugenie were named in the latest scandal against Prince Andrew.
- In a High Court case, Turkish millionaire Nebahat Isbilen claimed she was defrauded by her financier, Selman Turk.
- Turk made several payments to Prince Andrew, as well as his ex-wife and daughters, per the complaint.
Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice were named in a new fraud case that also names their father Prince Andrew, People reported Monday.
Turkish millionaire Nebahat Evyap Isbilen filed a complaint with the High Court in the UK, claiming that she entrusted her financial advisor, Selman Turk, with £67 million (nearly $88 million by today’s conversion), who sent payments to Prince Andrew, People reported.
Isbilen said she was told by Turk that a payment of £750,000 was made to Andrew in November 2019 for his assistance with securing a new passport for her after she fled the country, per the People report. But Turk and Prince Andrew’s office said the money was sent as a “wedding gift” for Princess Beatrice, who married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020. According to The Guardian, the sum was repaid 16 months later, and it is unclear if Prince Andrew even knew it was in his bank account.
An attorney for Turk was not listed.
According to a transcript from Nov. 14, 2019, obtained by the Daily Mail, banker Stephen Buckland asked Turk about the sum of money going to Prince Andrew.
“We just need to feel comfortable given the very unusual nature of the transaction,” Buckland said about the “wedding gift,” per the Mail. “What we’re struggling to understand is why it is so large and, also, is it a gift to help with the cost of the wedding or is it a wedding gift to the bride?”
Turk replied: “No, wedding – so basically wedding – so for the cost of the wedding,” according to the Mail.
When Buckland inquired one of Andrew’s aides about the payment, the aide said: “I understand it’s a gift for the wedding, a wedding gift.”
Isbilen also accused Turk of making payments to Prince Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson totaling £225,000 in July 2019 via one of Turk’s companies, and two payments to Princess Eugenie totaling £25,000 in November 2019, per a report by The Guardian. Turk denied the allegations made in Isbilen’s complaint.
Representatives for the Duke of York’s office and Ferguson respectively did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment, nor did Buckingham Palace. The Duke of York’s office told People they would not comment on an ongoing legal case.
In a statement to People, Princess Eugenie said she knew neither Isbilen nor Turk and the £25,000 payment went towards a surprise birthday party for Ferguson.
“On 31 March 2022 I received a letter from solicitors Peters & Peters representing their client Nebahat Evyap Isbilen in her claim against a Mr. Selman Turk, and various companies,” the statement read. “I know neither Mrs. Isbilen nor Mr. Turk (nor any other details of the claim) and I was surprised to receive this letter, which asked me to explain two payments made to my bank account in October 2019, which I understood to be gifts from a long-standing family friend to assist with the cost of a surprise party for my mother, Sarah, Duchess of York’s sixtieth birthday.”
“In early October 2019 I had received a call from our family friend saying that he wanted to make a financial contribution towards my mother’s birthday party to assist with the catering costs,” she said. “I suggested that any contribution could be made directly to the caterers, but in the event provided my account details to which two payments were made totaling £25,000, which I then transferred on to the company organising my mother’s party.”
In July 2019, Ferguson worked as a brand ambassador for green energy company Pegasus, which agreed to pay her £225,000 in installments. However, Ferguson said she wanted to be paid in a lump sum, to which Turk, who was introduced to her by her ex-husband, said he would pay her and take on the debt from Pegasus.
In a statement to People, a representative for Ferguson said the Duchess of York “was completely unaware of the allegations that have since emerged against Mr. Turk.”
The representative added: “She is naturally concerned by what has been alleged against him.”
