Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice named in bizarre Prince Andrew fraud case
From his high-profile law suit with Virginia Giuffre to being stripped of his royal titles, there seems to be no end to the drama Prince Andrew has found himself in as of late. It may come as no surprise then that he's now at the centre of another scandal, after being accused of receiving money from a fraud by a Turkish millionaire.”
So, what's the deal? According to The Telegraph, Nebahat Evyap Isbilen (said Turkish millionaire) has accused former Goldman Sachs banker Selman Turk of taking £40 million of her funds. As for where Prince Andrew comes in, that's pretty complicated. Isbilen alleges that a large portion of the funds – £750,000 to be exact – were transferred into Andrew's bank account, and were earmarked as a wedding present for his daughter, Princess Beatrice.
In her High Court claim, Isbilen also says that Andrew's other daughter, Princess Eugenie received £25,000 – a transfer that came from Turk's own account and was labelled "BIRTHDAY GIFT" – whilst Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, received £225,000.
What was the money given to Andrew actually used for? The £750,000 transferred to Andrew is said to have come from Isbilen who believed it was being used to get her a "new Turkish passport after she fled her homeland." However, Turk reportedly told the bank that the money was a wedding gift for Beatrice. "I have seen an email from Mr. Turk to Hampden Bank explaining that this transfer was a wedding gift to Princess Beatrice owing to the close connection between our families," Isbilen said. "This email is entirely false."
The Telegraph reports that these funds have since been paid back to Isbilen, and that neither Beatrice nor Eugenie are "believed to have had any knowledge of their parents' dealings with Mr. Turk", nor did they have any correspondence with him.
In response to the allegations, a spokesperson for Prince Andrew told The Guardian they are "unable to comment on ongoing legal proceedings." Princess Eugenie, on the other hand, released a statement addressing the claims in which she said she does not know "Mrs. Isbilen nor Mr. Turk (nor any other details of the claim)."
She also states she was "surprised" by the matter, and explained she was asked "to explain two payments made to my bank account in October 2019, which I understood to be gifts from a long-standing family friend."
Turk has denied the allegations.
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