Prince Andrew is caught in a dispute over a Swiss ski chalet with reports legal proceedings have been launched against him over an unpaid bill.
Le Temps newspaper said Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, bought the holiday home in the Verbier ski resort for £18.3m (22 million Swiss francs) in 2014.
But the pair did not meet a deadline in December 2019 to pay off a chunk of that sum for the seven-bedroom chalet, the French-language daily newspaper reported.
A spokeswoman for the Duke of York said: “We can confirm there is a dispute between the two parties in this matter.
“The contractual details remain the subject of a confidentiality agreement and prevent further discussion.”
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the reports.
The Le Temps report claims nearly £5m was due to be paid over the chalet at the end of 2019, which has since risen to £6.7m (eight million Swiss francs).
It is understood that Andrew and Sarah had intended to sell the chalet, and the proceeds of the sale were intended to clear any outstanding debt, a move which is believed to be known to the lender.
Law firm Etude du Ritz has been instructed to launch legal proceedings, Le Temps reports.