A distant cousin of Queen Camilla has lost a long-running legal battle against his wife after being found dead in a central London hotel in August last year.
Charles Villiers, was locked in a bitter legal fight with his ex-wife Emma, before taking his own life at the Durrants Hotel in Marylebone aged 59.
The Scottish aristocrat, whose mother was one of Queen Camilla’s cousins, died just two months after losing the most recent round of the battle, that has become one of Britain’s longest-running divorce cases.
Now, the UK’s Supreme Court has refused to take the case any further, after Mr Villiers’ solicitors pushed to overturn the previous ruling.
The case, which has been heard in five different courts in front of 20 judges, was described as having ‘financially ruined’ both Mr Villiers’ and his wife.
Charles Villiers, 59, (pictured) was found dead at the Durrants Hotel in Marylebone last August
The aristocrat’s wife, Emma Villiers (right) had pushed for the divorce case to be heard in English courts – Emma Villiers pictured with daughter Clarissa (left)
The couple lived in an 18th century Georgian mansion in Milton, near Dumbarton, during their marriage, before Villiers filed for divorce from his wife in Scotland in 2014. The home was repossessed in 2015.
Mr Viliers, however, later accused his wife of ‘divorce tourism’ after she pursued a resolution in England, where courts are perceived to be more generous towards separating wives.
Mr Villiers, a distant cousin of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, had argued that as he and his estranged wife were divorcing in Scotland and should therefore have financial decisions decided in a Scottish court.
The aristocrat, who is from Tyninghame, East Lothian, also argued that the pair had lived in Scotland since their marriage in 1994.
In Scotland inherited wealth is not taken into account when dividing assets after a marriage breaks down and maintenance payouts are also generally limited to just three years after a divorce is finalised.
However, Ms Villiers, moved to England following their separation. In England, divorce laws allow for financial support for the rest of claimant’s lives.
Ms Villiers later won the right to have the divorce case decided in England, before her ex-husband was ordered to pay her maintenance of £10,000 a year.
The former racehorse owner, whose late mother was a cousin of Camilla, accused her of bigamy and fraud, which a police investigation dismissed.
The aristocrat also claimed he was penniless, as she accused him of being a dishonest bully and demanded a £3.5 million settlement.
Scottish aristocrat Charles Villiers (right) and his ex-wife Emma (left)
Emma Villiers (left) had sought to have the case heard in English courts
A court heard both of them had been ‘financially ruined’ and ‘psychologically damaged’ by the drawn-out proceedings.
Mr Villiers had filed papers to challenge the decision by the Court of Appeal to award his wife maintenance before his death and his solicitors decided to pursue the case on his behalf.
They made a bid to have the ruling overturned at the Supreme Court in London but three of the country’s most senior judges have now refused a permission to appeal application.
Supreme Court justices Lord Lloyd-Jones, Lord Kitchin and Lord Stephens ruled that it did not ‘raise an arguable point of law’.
Mr Villiers, who was a racehouse owner involved in the publishing industry, was found to be heavily in debt by the High Court in January 2021 and is said to have been staying with friends before his death. At one point he owned a number of local newspapers.
Charles Villiers (right) later entered into a relationship with opera singer Heidi Innes (left)
Prior to the divorce, the couple lived together in an 18th century Georgian mansion (pictured) near Dumbarton
According to reports, he had been staying on a friend’s yacht in the Greek islands last summer, with a plan to visit a clinic in London for help with mental health.
Instead, he checked into the London hotel where his body was found by a housekeeper.
After separating from his wife Ms Villiers, the Scottish aristocrat entered into a relationship with opera singer Heidi Innes, 45, before she ended the relationship in February 2022.
Miss Innes, who had been with Mr Villiers for nearly five years, said at the time: ‘It’s over for good. I’m glad I didn’t marry him officially. He’s not the man I thought he was all this time. He’s supposed to be a gentleman but I don’t think he has behaved very well.’