Restlessness before the funeral of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, unsettled observers as the focus shifted to the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, and the suggestion that he offered his arm to Elizabeth II during the ceremony. New questions emerged when a supposed £1 million gift from a Turkish banker under investigation appeared in court records in London, casting a shadow over the royal family.
Documents presented to the judge, cited by the Daily Telegraph, suggest both the Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson were connected to payments linked to Selman Turk, a figure facing international fraud allegations amounting to tens of millions of pounds. The disclosures include €890,000 that Andrew is said to have received in November 2019 from Nebahat Evyap İşbilen, a 77-year-old Turkish financier who reportedly entrusted his vast fortune to Turk. In court, a statement indicated the money might help the recipient obtain a British passport to leave Turkey, where he reportedly faced political persecution.
Shortly after that initial sum, Turk, a former Goldman Sachs banker, returned to London and was involved in a ceremonial moment at St. James’s Palace. The indictment alleges that the duke received funds from a third party via Turk, including a further €415,000. Sarah Ferguson is said to have received €267,000 as part of these transactions.
the duke’s silence
İisbilen’s 77-year-old legal team described their client as a victim of a large-scale fraud and said she intended to pursue action against all involved. Lawyers were granted permission to examine the defendant’s bank accounts, revealing transfers to the Duke and Duchess of York through a sprawling network of deposits in England and across tax havens. The Queen’s son declined to answer written questions posed by attorneys last year and returned €890,000. A spokesperson for Sarah Ferguson denied knowledge of the allegations against Turk, whose assets were frozen and whose passport was reclaimed by authorities.
cloudy connections
Prince Andrew’s name has now become entangled in a fresh judicial storm that complicates attempts to repair his public image. In a moment of royal history, Philip played a visible role beside the Queen at her funeral held at Westminster Abbey. It has been weeks since a separate settlement related to Virginia Giuffre was reported, and discussions of a sexual harassment case connected to an association with an American financier were paused. Beyond the headlines, Andrew’s longstanding reputation as a party figure has often collided with scrutiny over his finances and his contentious role during a decade as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment. Critics say his network included influential figures from Libya, Tunisia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, raising questions about governance and accountability. Sarah Ferguson was filmed by a journalist posing as a businessman offering access to Prince Andrew for a substantial sum. While the undercover encounter did not derail her living arrangement in a Crown-owned Windsor home, it highlighted ongoing tensions in the couple’s public life and financial dealings.