The £85 Million Family Feud Behind Ragley Hall's Grand Facade
An aristocrat has been left facing a staggering £1.3 million legal bill after his failed attempt to gain control of his family's historic £85 million estate. William Seymour, the 32-year-old Earl of Yarmouth, lost his High Court battle against his own parents, the Marquess and Marchioness of Hertford, and is now considering taking the matter to the Court of Appeal.
Wedding Tensions Spark Inheritance Battle
The bitter dispute originated around the time of Lord Yarmouth's marriage to former Goldman Sachs banker Kelsey Wells in 2018. The young couple claim that as their relationship blossomed, so did hostility from William's parents, 67-year-old Hertford Henry Seymour and his Brazilian-born wife Beatriz, 65, along with his aunt, Lady Carolyn Seymour.
According to court documents, the parents allegedly viewed Kelsey, 40, as an 'outsider' and feared losing control over their heir. The animosity became particularly evident when Lady Carolyn responded to her nephew's wedding invitation with a sarcastic RSVP that ridiculed William as 'pompous' and 'Little Lord Fauntleroy', while also criticising his choice of bride.
A Pattern of Alleged Hostility
The court heard multiple claims of deliberate acts to undermine the relationship. When William first wanted to bring Kelsey home to the 6,000-acre Ragley estate in Warwickshire, he discovered his Volkswagen Polo had been lent to staff, preventing him from collecting her from the station. Later, when he arranged for her to stay at Ragley, he arrived home to find his parents had given his bed to the new butler, forcing him to sleep on a blow-up mattress.
The tensions escalated around their £80,000 wedding in 2018 when, a month after 180 invitations were sent out, the Hertfords revealed another event had been booked at Ragley the day before the ceremony, potentially disrupting preparations. Though eventually moved, the couple claimed Lord Hertford delivered one final blow on the wedding day itself, telling his son: 'You can still call it off and we'll send everyone home, just say no.'
Eviction and Legal Battle
After marrying, William and Kelsey settled in a modest cottage on the estate called The Bothy. However, in 2019 - shortly after Kelsey announced her pregnancy - they received an eviction letter on their first wedding anniversary. Again written by Lady Carolyn, the letter stated The Bothy was needed for a carer for William's grandmother, suggesting the couple could 'become someone's lodger.'
Lord Yarmouth had previously been told he would inherit the estate, including the 110-room Palladian mansion, when he turned 30. By age 21, he had already received over £4.2 million in land and property. However, his father decided to disinherit him around the time of his marriage, though Lord Hertford insisted Kelsey 'is not the main reason.'
In his judgement, Master Brightwell was particularly critical of William's practice of secretly recording conversations with his parents and trustees, suggesting he was 'looking for ammunition for a dispute.' The judge noted that while the falling out wasn't entirely William's fault, and that his parents had displayed 'deep antagonism' toward Lady Yarmouth, Lord Yarmouth appeared 'keen to create a dispute about the way Ragley was run at a root and branch level.'
Considering an Appeal
Despite the ruling, the Yarmouths remain defiant. In a statement to the Daily Mail, they expressed disappointment with the costs hearing outcome and clarified that Lord Yarmouth had only sought to replace trustees with independent ones to protect his children's interests, not to gain control of the estate or seek compensation for himself.
The couple also revealed their concern about documents disclosed during proceedings showing 'the extent of liquidity and substantial debt which has accumulated at Ragley' during the current Marquess's tenure. They stated they are 'deeply troubled and greatly saddened by the picture that information paints about the future of the estate.'
Now facing a seven-figure legal bill and having lost his bid for control, Lord Yarmouth is privately said to be angry at the ruling, believing his case was fair, as he and his wife consider whether to return to court for an appeal that could extend this bitter family feud even further.
