Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice Named In Fraud Case Tied To Father Prince Andrew: Report

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice have been dragged into their father Prince Andrew's new scandal.

Just days after Prince Andrew escorted Queen Elizabeth II to his father Prince Philip's memorial service, the disgraced royal, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were named in a fraud lawsuit filed by Turkish millionaire Nebahat Evyap Isbilen against her financial adviser to retrieve her missing millions, The Telegraph reported.

Isbilen, 77, is suing 35-year-old Turkish businessman Selman Turk, a former Goldman Sachs banker, in the High Court for the return of £40 million ($52 million) she claims is missing from the £67 million ($87.5 million) that she entrusted to her financial adviser while she fled her homeland. Turk, a founder of the Heyman AI banking group, has denied allegations of wrongdoing.

Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Ferguson, allegedly received payment amounting to £225,000 ($295,245) via one of Turk's companies in July 2019 after she was unveiled as an ambassador for green energy company Pegasus, The Guardian reported.

In the same year, two payments were allegedly made by Turk to Princess Eugenie amounting to approximately £25,000 ($32,782), and Prince Andrew received £750,000 ($984,000) from Isbilen, who is the wife of a former politician jailed in Turkey on charges said to be politically motivated, according to the outlet.

Isbilen claimed in court that she was told by Turk to pay the sum to the prince in return for assistance with obtaining a new passport after she fled her country. However, Turk and Prince Andrew's office allegedly later told her bankers that the sum was a "wedding gift" for Princess Beatrice, who married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020.

"Mr. Turk told me that he received help from the Duke of York to show or send the picture of my old passport to Turkey and that this service would normally be worth £2 million, but it would cost less if we made the payment by way of a gift," Isbelin told the High Court. "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. This email is entirely false."

There is no indication in the court documents that Princess Beatrice was aware of the conversation about the money. The princess and her sister are not believed to have had any knowledge of their parents' dealings with Turk, nor knowingly corresponded with him, according to The Telegraph.

Princess Eugenie and Ferguson have released statements addressing their ties to Turk.

"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. 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," Princess Eugenie said in a statement shared with People.

Princess Eugenie recounted receiving a call in October 2019 from a family friend who said he wanted to make a financial contribution toward her mom's birthday party to cover the catering costs. She suggested that the contribution be sent directly to the caterers but provided her account details. When she received two payments totaling £25,000, Princess Eugenie claimed she sent the amount to the company organizing her mother's party.

"I am now consulting with my lawyers who I have asked to respond to Peters & Peters on my behalf to assist in their inquiries," Prince Harry and Prince William's cousin added.

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice's mom also denied having any knowledge of the alleged fraud transactions. "The Duchess was completely unaware of the allegations that have since emerged against Mr. Turk. She is naturally concerned by what has been alleged against him," a rep for Ferguson told People.

Buckingham Palace had no comment when reached by People. A representative for the Duke of York, meanwhile, told the outlet that they are unable to comment on an ongoing legal case.

This is the latest scandal to hit Prince Andrew after his longtime accuser Virginia Giuffre's sexual assault lawsuit, which he settled for an undisclosed amount in February.