Owner of celebrity Knightsbridge clothes boutique beloved by Princess Diana launches court bid to get former fashionista friend who 'owes her £1.3million' jailed amid claims she lied about her wealth

A stylist who owns a boutique favoured by the late Princess Diana and a sprinkling of Hollywood stars wants one of her 'fashionista' customers jailed for not repaying a loan.

Bridget Hutchcroft, 63, says her £1.3 million life savings were swindled by Ekaterina Barrett, who introduced herself as a 'connoisseur of high-end couture' in 2017.

With Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ava Gardner amongst her clients, Ms Hutchcroft's Pandora Dress Agency is a cornerstone of international glamour found in Knightsbridge, southwest London.

Ms Barrett, 67, fell out spectacularly with Ms Hutchcroft when she did not return the £1.3 million lent to her by the businesswoman during her divorce.

Even though the High Court ordered Ms Barrett in October 2022 to repay the loan plus interest, she has not done so.

Now Ms Hutchcroft's legal team, has told the court that the Monaco based Ms Barrett has shown contempt to the court and should be jailed.

Bridget Hutchcroft, 63, at the High Court where she is attempting to jail Ekaterina Barrett

The Mail tracked down Ekaterina Barrett to Monaco where she lives in June 2023

James McWilliams, for Ms Hutchcroft claimed aspects of Ms Barrett's evidence are 'false and known by her to be false in several material respects' at a hearing last week.

'In particular, she gave false evidence in relation to the nature of her interest in and connection to a property in Monaco, referred to throughout the examination as 'Saint Andre' - it being her evidence that it was not her property but her brother's,' he said.

Ms Barrett had also insisted she had no other court cases ongoing, although she is in fact 'involved in legal proceedings in multiple different jurisdictions', claimed Mr McWilliams.

Mr McWilliams said Ms Barrett should face 'an appropriate custodial sentence' if found in contempt.

He added an email sent by Ms Barrett on May 3, in which she claims 'the case had already settled at a meeting between me and Bridget Hutchcroft' for £800,000 with a writen agreement was as an 'obvious forgery'.

The Pandora Dress Agency has been a successful fixture in Knightsbridge for in-the-know fashionistas since its establishment more than 70 years ago, just after the end of the Second World War.

Based just behind Harrods, the boutique sells second-hand modern designer clothes, all seasonal and less than two years old, from labels such as Chanel, Hermes, Versace and Prada.

Ms Hutchcroft at her shop The Pandora Dress Agency whose customers included Diana.

Over the decades, the boutique in Knightsbridge has counted Princess Diana (pictured), Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ava Gardner among its clientele

Ms Hutchcroft met Ms Barrett when the latter began visiting the Pandora boutique seven years ago - at a time when she was living the high life in London in a £4.2m Mayfair flat and driving around in a Bentley.

The pair became friends, with Ms Hutchcroft buying some of her 'valuable collection of items of high-end designer fashion' to sell in her shop and 'taking a shine' to her two greyhounds, she says.

But the relationship between the two women turned sour after Ms Hutchcroft lent her then pal £1.3m as she was going through a divorce, which Ms Barrett then failed to pay back.

Ms Hutchcroft claimed in court papers prior to winning the judgment in 2022 that she had been the victim of 'fraudulent misrepresentation' on the part of her 'exploitative' former friend, who she claimed posed as a 'multi-multimillionaire' with riches 'equivalent to a Rothschild' in order to induce her to make the loans.

Ms Hutchcroft said she was told her friend's grandfather had set up a 'substantial trust for her in Liechtenstein' but that she was temporarily unable to get at the funds, court documents disclosed.

She said her new friend did not fully explain where her supposed fortune came from, but added: 'Having visited her apartment in Monaco, I did believe that she had this huge trust fund that she had told me about'.

Ms Hutchcroft argued that Ms Barrett has failed to abide by the terms of a court order

In her defence, Ms Barrett denied borrowing the cash, insisting that the transactions related to the sale of designer clothes.

Ms Barrett failed to attend court to hear the argument or defend her position, with Ms Hutchcroft believing that she is still in Monaco.

In a short hearing in June last year, Ms Barrett had been examined about her financial position in relation to her failure to repay the money.

She claimed she relies on her family for support and 'that her lifestyle is funded entirely by her family'.