As questions grow over who funded the York sisters’ lavish lifestyles, how a Libyan gun smuggler was invited to Eugenie’s wedding, while bride Beatrice received ‘£750,000 as a gift’ from Turkish millionairess

A deep dive intoPrincesses Eugenieand Beatrice's very generous, six-figure 'wedding gifts' has sparked fresh speculation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's finances, a new book has revealed.

Writing in Entitled, historian Andrew Lownie detailed how convicted Libyan gun smuggler Tarek Kaituni was among the guests at Eugenie's nuptials (and had given her an £18,000 diamond necklace for her 21st birthday) while Turkish millionairess Nebahat Isbilen 'sent some £750,000 into the disgraced Duke's personal bank account', allegedly for Beatrice's ceremony.

The elusive attendees, and their plentiful sums, are often linked to the princesses' parents and their various financial endeavours throughout the years – inviting questions about how their daughters' notoriously lavish jet-setting lifestyles were funded throughout their youth.

In 2018, when Eugenie tied the knot withJack Brooksbankin a fairytale wedding atWindsor Castle, among the VIP guests (which includedNaomi Campbell,Demi Moore,Ellie GouldingandCara Delevingneto name a few) was aHong Kongtycoon.

Dr Johnny Hon was familiar with her mother,Sarah Ferguson, who had the year prior become a non-executive director at a venture capital company he was chairing, called Gate Ventures.

Things turned sour, however, and a bitter court battle ensued soon after, when Chinese investors brought action against the company, with 'claims that it had given misleading informationabout loans provided to Ginger & Moss, a company founded by the duchess, and that of the £24million raised from shareholders, £19million had been "lost"'.

Later media reports alleged 'lavish' spending at Gate, as well as 'unusual transactions with offshore companies and deals involving its directors’, including a loan to former boyfriend Manuel Fernandez’s company, vVoosh, in which the duchess had invested.

According to Lownie, Sarah had been brought on to help with foreign expansion, but, it appeared, this led to the Dr Hon 'bankrolling the royals', with him charging some £3million in expenses which included£8,000 for tea with the Duchess of York – and, as a Judge pointed out, 'That is not the purpose for which these small Chinese investors paid their money in to the company.'

Dr Hon 'stressed that all activities charged to the company were "for the benefit of Gate and were legitimate business expenses"'.

He also reportedly claimed: ‘No part of the spending was for my personal benefit or personal enjoyment. It was hard, often exhausting, but necessary work.'

Dr Hon declined to speak with Lownie for the book – but he is not the only controversial figure to have been in attendance at the royal wedding.

A deep dive into Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice's very generous, six-figure 'wedding gifts' has sparked fresh speculation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's finances, a new book has revealed. Pictured in 2018

Turkish millionairess Nebahat Isbilen 'sent some £750,000 into the disgraced Duke's personal bank account', allegedly for Beatrice's ceremony

Also present was convicted Libyan gun smuggler Tarek Kaituni, who had known Andrew since 2005

Also present was convicted Libyan gun smuggler Tarek Kaituni, who had known Andrew since 2005.

Three years later, they had also enjoyed a four-day holiday to Tunisia – financed by the Middle Eastern billionaire, which included a visit to Colonel Gaddafi.

Kaituni and business adviser Selman Turk are both said to have held meetings with the ex-Duke, which invited more questions in 2022, when the Virginia Giuffre settlement raised fresh speculation into his finances.

One such query ended up embroiling a Mrs Nebahat Isbilen, who was at the time suing Turk for £40million of funds, which she claimed he had 'misused'.

She alleged one instance of this had been a sum of £750,000, which had been sent to Andrew's personal bank account in 2019. Turk had said to her that this was because the former duke was helping her get a Turkish passport.

However, Andrew's office allegedly told Isbilen that 'it is a gift for the cost of the wedding or a gift to Princess Beatrice… I mean, I’m not sure it makes much difference, does it? I think it’s a gift for the wedding… What she and her family decide to do with it is really to do with them, isn’t it?’

The payment had also been made a mere nine days after Turk won an award at Pitch@Palace, for his idea of a digital bank, which according to sources was 'appalling'.

The insider told Lownie: 'I just remember thinking, "How did he get through?" It was just nuts.'

In 2024, Turk was jailed for 12 months following a High Court dispute, but just weeks later has had his sentence suspended at the Court of Appeal.

In April last year, Judge Sir Anthony Mann concluded: 'In the light of all that I determine that Mr Turk shall contribute the sum of £390,000 in respect of his costs of defending the committal application brought against him, but the order shall be suspended until the removal of the freezing order and the determination of the proprietary claims of Mrs Isbilen, and Mr Turk shall have liberty to apply to vary the order in that event so that his obligation to pay shall not extend beyond the proper value of his equitable interest in the property (if any).'

There were also questions about a series of payments that Andrew and Sarah got from an 'Alphabet Capital', which Isbilen's legal team believed was 'a front used by Mr Turk… to make payments to persons associated with him', including the ex Duke and Duchess.

It also included a further £350,000 (with the reference 'TK Wedding'), and Sarah had gotten 'at least £225,000 from the Alphabet account'.

Lownie revealed that while reports claimed the latter sum was to cover her ambassador work, 'a payment of £10,000 made by Alphabet Capital Ltd to Eugenie of York was under the payment reference "TK008".'

He continued: 'She claimed not to know Mr Turk or Mrs Isbilen and the money was from "a long-standing family friend to assist with the cost of a surprise party for my mother".

'The next day a further payment of £15,066.05 was made to Eugenie York under the payment reference "Birthday Gift" – some five months before her March birthday.

'As the case continued through various manifestations in the courts, it was revealed that Turk was living in a multi-million pound flat in Mayfair owned by the Crown Estate and that Andrew had received half of a £100,000 payment that Turk claimed was a payment to businessman Adrian Gleave to fund a search for "finding yoghurt production facilities in America".'

And yet another guest who was front and centre at Eugenie's wedding was a Mr Jonathan Rowland – a British businessman whose family has long enjoyed a relationship with the royals.

According to Lownie, one exchange saw the banker and disgraced duke discuss keeping commercial activities ‘under the radar’.

The author had remarked however that 'it remains a mystery how Andrew has been able to enjoy such an extravagant lifestyle without any obvious sources of income beyond his naval pension, family money he may have inherited and handouts first from Queen Elizabeth and now King Charles'.

There has been fresh speculation over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's finances

A friend of the former prince once said: ‘I would compare Andrew to a hot air balloon. He seems to float serenely in very rarefied circles without any visible means of support.’

It comes amid a turbulent time for the Royal Family. In the latest developments following the tranche of explosive Epstein file revelations, Andrew was pictured leaving police custody, following his arrest last month, on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The former prince looked shellshocked as he cowered in the back of a car, leaving Aylsham police station in Norfolk shortly after 7pm on his return to Sandringham.

Andrew, who recently turned 66, was detained by officers during an 8am raid on his new home at Wood Farm. In events that rocked the Royal Family, he became the first senior royal to be arrested in modern times.

Thames Valley Police confirmed the disgraced former prince had been taken into custody just after 10am on Thursday, marking one of the worst days for the family in recent history.

In a statement put out just minutes after Andrew's departure, Thames Valley Police said 'a man in his sixties' has been released under investigation – as images showed how the royal seemed to be trying to evade photographers following his bruising day in the cells.

Wide-eyed and with his hands clasped in front of him, Andrew cut a lonely figure as he ditched his traditional suit and tie attire in favour of a shirt and cardigan more suited to the setting that is so far removed from the upper echelons of luxury he is used to.

The photograph of the former prince, now stripped of all his titles and privileges, is sure to haunt the Royal Family in the days and weeks to come.

Police added that searches being conducted in Norfolk, relating to Andrew's new residence, Wood Farm, have concluded.

It is understood Andrew was arrested in relation to allegations he passed sensitive information to convicted paedophile financierJeffrey Epsteinwhile acting as a trade envoy for theBritish government.

King Charles issued an unprecedented statement confirming his 'wholehearted support and co-operation' with the investigation into Andrew just hours after he was detained on Thursday – withBuckingham Palaceunderstood not to have known the former Duke of York would be arrested.

The statement said: 'I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office.

'What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.

'Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.'

William and Kate are understood to support the King.