Duke of York company owned by private investment firm has 200K in debt

A company controlled by the Duke of York and used to manage his investments is over 200,000 in debt, according to newly filed accounts.

Urramoor was set up in 2013, 18 months after the duke was stripped of his UK trade envoy role because of his association with Jeffrey Epstein. Since then, accounts show that the company has been slipping into debt.

The most recently filed accounts covering the 12 months to March last year show that Urramoor had 200,846 in debt, up from 192,571 the previous year.

Arthur Lancaster, a chartered accountant and a director of the business, signed the accounts.

A South African investment firm has described the company as the private investment office of HRH Duke of York.

The accounts raise questions as to how he might pay damages if he loses the court case brought by Virginia Giuffre.

Urramoor is owned by the Urramoor Trust, which was established by the duke's private office. Andrew is listed as having a significant influence or control over the trustees of a trust using the pseudonym HRH Andrew Inverness, which derives from the title Earl of Inverness, given to him by the Queen when he married Sarah Ferguson in 1986.

The trust owned Lincelles, an unlimited company that is not required to file public accounts. The Times revealed last year that the duke set up the firm with Harry Keogh, a friend and adviser who left his role at the Coutts bank in 2018 after allegations of sexual harassment.

A spokeswoman for the duke didn't want to say anything.