THE UK'S RICHEST FAMILY AND A VERY AWKWARD SUCCESSION

The Hindujas brought billions to London and built its grandest hotel, but after the death of the family patriarch the family are locked in a bitter battle, says Claudia Cockerell

- Claudia Cockerell

Gopichand and Srichand Hinduja preferred to keep a low profile, but there was one place they were always recognised. On their morning walks around the lakes in St James's Park, the brothers would be surrounded by gaggles of pigeons and squirrels, expectantly waiting for the breadcrumbs and peanuts which they would produce from a plastic bag.

Feeding wildlife is technically against the rules in the Royal Parks, but Srichand felt he owed a debt of gratitude. "I learnt about investment from squirrels," he once said. "If you give them two nuts, they will bury one - they won't eat both of them." That philosophy served the brothers well: the Hindujas topped the Sunday Times Rich List for six of the past 10 years, with a net worth of over £35 billion.

The eldest two of four sons, Srichand and Gopichand were co-chairmen of the Hinduja Group, a company that was founded by their father, Parmanand, in Mumbai. The brothers have their father's name as a middle name, and were better known by the nicknames SP and GP.

But now, the fauna of St James's Park are looking less plump than usual. Srichand died in 2023 aged 87, while Gopichand died last month aged 85, leaving behind a colossal empire and relatives rumoured to be at loggerheads over a contested family motto. The Hinduja Group always prided itself on being a family business - GP once said that he and his three brothers were "one soul" - but the past decade has been riven by disputes over who owns what that have played out in a London court.

The drama is often portrayed as a Succession-style battle, yet this is Succession on a global, multi-industry scale. The brothers' companies span not just media and entertainment, but finance, oil, real estate, healthcare, automotive, IT and several other sectors. They own one of London's most extravagant hotels and their private home round the corner from Buckingham Palace is estimated to be worth over £300 million.