Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Summoned to Court in $1 Million Royal Money Mystery

0:09 Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been summoned to give evidence in a high court fraud trial in December, where he could face questions about payments linked to his personal finances. According to the BBC, he is expected to appear on or around December 15th in a case brought by Nebahut Izbilin, who alleges that her former financial advisor, Selman Turk, misled her and misused her money. Turk strongly denies dishonesty. Mountbatten-Windsor is not accused of wrongdoing. His evidence will concern disputed transactions, including a £ 750, 000 payment that Izbilin says she was persuaded to make to him for help obtaining a passport. Turk disputes that account. He says Isbilan offered the money as a gift to establish goodwill with the then Duke of York and that it had nothing to do with a passport.

1:06 The sum was subsequently repaid after Isbilan's lawyers contacted Andrew in 2021. The court will also examine a payment of about £ 768, 000 from Isbilan's account in January 2020. Turk has described it as a loan to Andrew for the purchase of a Swiss chalet. Isbilin contests that explanation, which has also been challenged in earlier hearings. Turk met Andrew through Pitch at Palace in autumn 2019. Social gatherings followed, involving Turk and his family, Isbilin and the then-Jukin Duchess of York. The appearance would be Andrew's first public questioning since his 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, and could provide a rare account of his financial dealings. He would usually attend in person...

1:54 although he could give evidence by video. Turk's solicitors said he denies the dishonesty allegations and expects to be vindicated. Mountbatten-Windsor has been approached for comment. The trial is expected to begin in mid-November. It is believed this is the first time since the 1870s that a member of the royal family was subject to a witness summons. In the iPaper, Elida Hargraves writes, if confident Andrew is back at parties, it means a royal reckoning is coming. Hargraves wonders, can you plead the Fifth Amendment in the United Kingdom? Or perhaps I do not recall will help Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor now that he has been summoned to the High Court, albeit as a witness. He is not accused of wrongdoing. Mountbatten-Windsor has not commented on the matter thus far, but unless his legal team manages to argue down the summons, it is the first time his finances will be picked over in a public forum. The royal reckoning that Buckingham Palace has spent years trying to avoid is on, and it couldn't have come at a worse time. The problem, you see, is Mountbatten Windsor's confidence is riding high. Higher than it's ever been since November 2019, when his infamous BBC Newsnight interview aired, and he lost all glory. Higher than it's been since the release of the Epstein files this January.

3:16 Murmurings have confirmed that Andrew is back, low-key back at shooting weekends, at Norfolk kitchen suppers, at private social events. It was the Daily Mail's Richard Eden who first reported that the Grandees of North Norfolk have concluded that the former Duke of York should not be shunned forever like some leper in a pre-Christian world. Then more and more spilled out. The poor king, on the last day of his royal tour to Antigua, Having been drenched in howling rain, having had to move delicately around the words slavery and sorry, now he will have found out his wily brother, the famed Randy Andy, is about to go public once more. The unofficial gag order Charles had effectively slapped on him by removing his dukedom, getting him out of Royal Lodge and into hiding on the Sandringham estate is over. In the Express, Chris Riches writes... Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie may be excited for Christmas, but it comes with the toughest decision they have ever made in their lives. For most 30-somethings, spending Yuletide with their folks and basking in Christmas nostalgia lets you relive those happy childhood memories with the parents who gave them to you. Under normal circumstances, Beatrice and Eugenie would have been eager to take their children and husbands to their parents' 30-room royal lodge at Windsor to feast, party, open presents under their enormous Christmas tree. and remember their happy childhood. But the last 12 months have been far from normal circumstances for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and Sarah Ferguson, far from it indeed. While Fergie went to ground to hide

4:48 out at a Swiss chalet for most of the winter and spring, Andrew was moved into his new cottage home on the King's Sandringham Estate. Now Fergie has moved into a new home in the UK, and the daughters are facing a sticky quandary. What do they do for Christmas? Last year, the sisters... Their children and husbands, Edoardo Mappelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank, all spent Yuletide with the royal family at Sandringham in Norfolk. On Christmas morning, Beatrice and Eugenie were seen walking to the morning service at Sandringham's St Mary Magdalene Church with Kate, William, King Charles and Queen Camilla. This year they must feel under huge pressure not to snub both parents again. But are Fergie and Andrew, who both strenuously deny any wrongdoing during their friendship with Epstein, too toxic to be seen with if they shun them both they will be panicking about their parents' mental health.

5:37 After what they have suffered in 2026, both Andrew and Fergie will be desperate to spend some downtime with their grandchildren. A Palace Insider previously told Radar Online that the siblings' loyalty to Fergie outweighs their sympathy for their father, adding, Beatrice and Eugenie hold Andrew largely responsible for the family's predicament and fear spending Christmas together could expose the divisions between their parents. As a result, They're now facing an absolute minefield when it comes to Christmas, and it's taking all the excitement out of what should be a wonderful time of year. We'll talk about Thomas Markle after the break. Some content may not be appropriate for all listeners. Back in a moment. Police in the Philippines are examining electronic devices and other material allegedly linked to Thomas Markle after investigators reportedly found files containing child sexual abuse imagery. Markle, 82, denies all allegations against him. Authorities have not confirmed that he owned the devices, and the report says no formal complaint has yet been lodged against him. According to the Times, investigators are seeking to establish who produced the images, who owns the equipment, and whether Thomas Markle appears in any of the material. Initial forensic examinations reportedly identified multiple files containing depraved imagery involving minors. Police are examining nine mobile phones, three SD cards, five hard drives, a camera and printed material.

7:07 If there is evidence, then we will file a case, a police official said. A senior officer reportedly said the material appeared to have originated outside the Philippines and involved children of different ethnic backgrounds. Major General Wilson Aceta, the Philippine National Police Acting Director for Investigation Management, said ownership of the devices remained an active part of the inquiry. Investigators are also examining the circumstances surrounding Thomas Markle Jr. 's involvement. Aceta said on Tuesday that Philippine investigators had not been in contact with British police. Thomas Markle has denied all allegations. Publicity surrounding the investigation into Thomas Markle could become a consideration in Prince Harry and Meghan's UK security assessments if it generates credible threats against her family, a former Royal Protection officer has said. Speaking to Page Six, Simon Morgan, a former Metropolitan Police bodyguard to the royal family, explained that any change in protection would depend on intelligence rather than the allegations alone. Morgan said, The question would be, will someone target Meghan Markle because her father is being accused of being a pedophile? Certainly, Ravek would only look at it if it's intelligence-led. What is the chatter on social media? What is the dark web saying in relation to this particular allegation? Has there been an increase in negative correspondence to the Sussexes? And how is this being perceived amongst the public? Does this change the threat and risk picture to the Sussexes? You cannot discount it, but

8:38 there are credible threats rising from the publicity in relation to this allegation. Are the Sussexes' lives at risk of harm? That's the way this will be approached. You have to establish the risk of it happening. What does the threat look like? And does it require some form of action? That's the way it would be approached. A Palace Insider tells Page Six it's very telling that the Palace refused to comment and made sure it was known that they view this as a Sussex matter only. Of course, that has people predicting that the royal family will distance themselves even more from Meghan and Harry. They just don't want any sort of association with Thomas Markle and this whole ugly mess. Their reputation can't afford it. There's no question that everyone in the family feels terrible for Meghan, but feeling sympathy for her and getting involved are two very different things. The Palace has made it pretty clear that this is something the Sussexes need to handle themselves. And there you have it. If you'd like to email us, our address is thepalaceintrigue at gmail.com. If you're on Spotify, leave us a comment. If you're on Apple, hit that button up there that says listen uninterrupted. Get the show commercial free for just five bucks a month. And if you are a creator or a content creator or a podcaster and you're looking for a new program to help you be a better creator, check out Linnet.com. And you can find it at linnetmedia.com. That's L-I-N-N-E-T media.com. And we appreciate your support. Check it out. It's free for the month.

9:53 We'd love to hear your comments and feedback. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good times.