Earl Battles Family in Court Over £85 Million Estate Control

The Earl of Yarmouth is in court fighting his parents over the control of the Ragley Hall estate.

Earl Battles Family in Court Over £85 Million Estate Control
Earl Battles Family in Court Over £85 Million Estate Control

A family is fighting over a huge estate. The estate is worth £85 million and involves an Earl who makes liquor. He is battling against his parents in court.

William Seymour is the Earl of Yarmouth. His wife is Kelsey; she used to work in banking. They are fighting William’s parents, the Marquess and Marchioness of Hertford, about Ragley Hall in Warwickshire. It is a 400-year-old family estate.

William, the eldest son, thought he’d get the estate, and the court heard this expectation existed. However, his father, Harry, says things changed around William’s 2018 wedding due to their relationship souring.

William sent angry emails to his mother, Beatriz, Lady Hertford, questioning his dad’s mental state. This caused upset within the family.

William and Kelsey clashed with the estate trustees, who control the family’s wealth. The couple claimed the trustees denied school fees and evicted them from their estate cottage with little notice.

The Earl and his wife run a distillery there called St Maur. He is now suing his parents and siblings, seeking to remove the current trustees, feeling they favor his parents.

William feels his life is ruined because he expected to inherit the estate at age 30, which did not happen, causing him trauma. He needed counseling to cope with this.

His parents and siblings disagree with William, believing he has acted poorly. They want the trusts to stay in place, and the trust companies deny any bias.

The family estate is quite old, with 400 years of history near Alcester, and the family descends from Jane Seymour, a wife of Henry VIII.

The estate includes a mansion and working farms, businesses and properties, woods, and parkland. The trusts don’t manage the house itself.

William had already received land worth £4m by 21. Richard Dew spoke for the family, noting that before 2017, William showed little interest in the estate.

After William married Kelsey, he became assertive, wanting information about the estate and desiring to attend meetings.

William complained his ideas were ignored, and he felt his wife was disrespected when she was not invited to a trustee meeting. Consequently, his relationship with his family worsened.

William sparked conflict by discussing succession, asking his dad to confirm the transfer of Ragley Hall at 30. Harry was disappointed in William’s actions, and the breaking point was an email where William questioned Harry’s mental capacity.

William’s mother emailed him with bad news revealing funds were limited, and they cannot support both generations now, adding there were no transfer obligations.

William seeks to dismantle the trusts now, wanting independent trustees to replace them, and he feels their relationship has completely failed. His lawyer, Paul Burton, says trustees caused strife and mismanaged the estate.

Mr. Dew defends the trusts and the family, stating William’s actions made trustees wary since 2018. He blocked access to the Ragley Woodland, disrupted estate events, and secretly recorded meetings and calls with trustees and staff.

Mr. Dew said replacing trustees would harm the estate, causing a loss of experience and relationships, and replacement fees would also be costly.

Master Brightwell finished hearing the case and will issue his ruling later.

Image Credits and Reference: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/earl-of-yarmouth-william-seymour-kelsey-ragley-estate-family-feud-b2695933.html
Disclaimer: The images on this site are for info only and follow fair use. We get them from public sources and try to stick to official ones. If you have any concerns, please reach out to us.
Fact-Checking Policy: We use reliable sources and check info before posting. Mistakes can happen, so if you spot one, please let us know, and we’ll fix it ASAP.

Local news team dedicated to accurate crime and community reporting within the Liverpool area. Email: dodoxler+pool@gmail.com