Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor called to give evidence in fraud trial in December

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been served with a summons compelling him to give evidence in a fraud trial in the High Court on or around 15 December, the BBC understands. The witness summons will see him giving evidence and taking questions, in a case in which a wealthy woman alleges she was cheated by her former financial adviser.

Mountbatten-Windsor is not accused of wrongdoing, but he could face difficult questions about his financial arrangements as it is said that he was in receipt of some of the disputed payments, including a transfer to him of £750,000. His court appearance will be the first public questioning Mountbatten-Windsor has faced since his BBC Newsnight interview in 2019.

It is also believed that Mountbatten-Windsor is the first royal since the 19th Century to be sent such a witness summons. Such an unusual royal moment is likely to receive widespread media coverage - not least for the opportunity to hear the former Duke of York's first public comments since being stripped of his titles.