Lord blocks son from taking over estate due to his 'lack of achievement'

Feud over Midland manor and son's marriage ends in court

- CALLUM PARKE News Reporter

THE aristocratic heir to a 6,000-acre Warwickshire estate has lost a High Court battle against his parents and siblings over how it should be run, after what a judge described as a "breakdown" of family relations.

The Earl of Yarmouth, William Seymour, took legal action against his parents, the Marquess of Hertford, Henry Seymour, and the Marchioness of Hertford, Beatriz Seymour, his three siblings and two trust corporations over the running of parts of the Ragley estate.

The estate includes the family seat of Ragley Hall in Alcester, Warwickshire, which was built in the 1680s.

The legal claim related to three settlements which form part of the estate, including farmland, residential properties and woodland together valued at around £45 million, with Lord Yarmouth asking for the two trust corporations to be removed as trustees and replaced with an independent trustee.

Lord and Lady Hertford, as well as Lord Yarmouth's siblings - Lady Gabriella Seymour, Lord Edward Seymour and Lady Antonia Seymour - all opposed the legal claim.

During a three-day hearing in February, the court was told that the family relationship had broken down in 2018, around the time Lord Yarmouth married his wife, the Countess of Yarmouth, Kelsey Wells.