Big Brother star Ben Duncan, who was a friend of Prince William, left a five-figure fortune after his death. Duncan died at age 45 last year after falling 100 feet from the balcony of a rooftop bar.
Estate valued and reduced
Duncan, who appeared on the 11th series of the show in 2010, died without making a will. The High Court granted letters of administration to his mother, Monica Duncan, of Frome, Somerset, in the summer this year, giving her control of his estate.
Documents show Duncan's estate was valued at £218,450, later reduced to £91,683 due to deductions for debt repayment and expenses.
Connection to royalty and fall details
Duncan met the Prince of Wales and Kate, Princess of Wales while studying at St Andrews University in Scotland, and was said to be part of their "inner circle." He died after falling from the rooftop of a seven-story building in the West End of London.
The Metropolitan Police were dispatched to the Trafalgar St James hotel after reports of a "man on the roof" were received. The hotel has rooms that can go for £1,000 per night. He is thought to have fallen from the rooftop bar, which has high plastic screens around its edges as a safety feature, before they arrived.
Police and ambulance response
At the time, the force said: "Officers responded to concerns for a man on the roof of a building in Cockspur Street, Westminster at 23:02 hours on Thursday, 30 October. The man sadly fell from height."
"Despite the best efforts from the London Ambulance Service, he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. His death is unexpected but non-suspicious." A London Ambulance service spokesperson said they were called to the scene but were unable to save Duncan. "We were called at 10:59pm on Thursday, 30 October, to reports of an incident on Spring Gardens, City of Westminster. We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer, paramedics in fast response cars and paramedics from our hazardous area response team. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London's Air Ambulance. Very sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a man was pronounced dead at the scene."
Life and legacy
Duncan had been living in a flat in Pimlico, central London, just a stone's throw away from the Houses of Parliament. Aside from his connection to the future King and Queen, he was also friends with disgraced Lord Peter Mandelson, Michael Portillo, and designer Nicky Haslam.
Speaking previously about Prince William and the moment he saw the then Kate Middleton in a sheer dress at a university fashion show, Duncan said: "She brushed by him on the way to the catwalk, and things were never the same again - the whole history of the monarchy had been altered."
Aside from appearing on Big Brother, of which he left the house on day 52, he later appeared on Come Dine With Me, Ladette to Lady, and Celebrity Coach Trip. An inquest into his death is set to be opened later this year.
