The Marchioness of Bath, Emma Thynn, put on a cheerful display as she stepped out in Cannes on Wednesday, after her aristocrat husband won a High Court bid to allow their surrogate-born son to inherit part of his £157 million fortune.
Chic appearance in Cannes
The Marchioness, 40, looked chic in a navy silk skirt and pinstripe blazer as she left the Hotel Martinez. Emma accessorised the look with a black baseball cap, sunglasses and carried a designer handbag.
It comes after the fashionista pulled out all the stops on Tuesday in a daring canary yellow gown with a thigh-high split as IHG Hotels & Resorts and Vanity Fair hosted a star-studded lunch at Carlton Beach Club. With a strappy, plunging neckline, the elegant gown ensured she commanded the lion's share of attention while posing for pictures during her first public appearance since arriving in the South of France. She then swapped her vibrant number for a sleeveless navy dress, featuring a billowing skirt and a daring split for the opening ceremony and The Electric Venus screening at Palais des Festivals.
High Court ruling
While Emma is in Cannes, a High Court judge ruled their nine-year-old surrogate-born son would be able to inherit part of the family fortune. Ceawlin Thynn, the 8th Marquess of Bath and owner of the Longleat estate, had his second son with wife Emma, Marchioness of Bath, in 2016 via a surrogate after she suffered from a rare inflammatory condition during her first pregnancy.
Henry Thynn was born to a surrogate mother in America, raising concern about his eligibility to benefit from three family trusts because of the historical definition of a legitimate child. The nine-year-old is genetically the son of the 51-year-old Marquess - also known as Lord Bath - and his wife, Lady Bath. But the family trusts use a pre-1970 common law definition of 'children' that predates modern fertility treatments.
At the High Court, Lord Bath had asked for a 'blessing' to allow Henry to potentially inherit a share of the fortune. Mr Justice Matthews said in a ruling that it would be 'unfair on Lord Bath and on Henry' to treat the boy as though he were not his father's son. 'Henry is the son of Lord and Lady Bath. Not only is he treated by them and will be treated by the world in general as a child of Lord and Lady Bath's marriage but he is also their genetic child,' he added.
Primogeniture and US tax considerations
Though his older brother John, 11, would inherit before him because of primogeniture - which provides for a firstborn legitimate child to inherit their parents' estate - it was argued Henry could still stand to benefit. The judge said at this stage the trustees only wanted the power to add Henry as a beneficiary but not to exercise it yet. Mr Justice Matthews said this delay was to 'avoid any problems with US tax' because Henry was born there to an American surrogate mother. 'A decision can then be taken at a later stage, in the light of appropriate advice, whether to exercise the power to add him,' the judge added.
First British aristocrat born via surrogacy
Henry is believed to be the first member of the British aristocracy to have been born by surrogacy, after his mother suffered hypophysitis during her first pregnancy in 2014. That pregnancy came a year after she married her husband, who inherited his title seven years later following the death of his father from Covid aged 87.
Met Gala appearance and comparisons to Meghan Markle
Last week, Emma made a headline-grabbing appearance at the Met Gala, posing up a storm with former Vogue editor Edward Enninful, once thought to be a close friend of Meghan's before drifting apart amid rumours of a rift. The duo joined Serena Williams on the red carpet in a move that left fans questioning whether the ex-tennis star and the Duchess were still as close pals as they once were. Fans were first left doubting the athlete's closeness to the Duchess following Serena's 'disastrous' As Ever promotion on Instagram after receiving a PR parcel filled with Meghan's Mother's Day edit. Serena and Emma are thought to be close friends. They've holidayed together in Spain and the marchioness previously appeared on the A-lister's podcast Stockton Street.
Meghan has yet to attend the Met Gala, and isn't thought to have been invited this year, despite Serena's sister Venus being a co-chair at the 2026 event. Some fans have long accused Meghan of copying the marchioness, who also has a lifestyle programme, and like the duchess, produces homemade jam from her Longleat estate.
Comparisons between Emma and Meghan were also drawn in the latest season of reality TV show, Ladies Of London: The New Reign. In the opening scenes, released in March, designer Lottie Kane brought up the duchess while introducing the marchioness to viewers. 'She is the first black woman to be married into an aristocratic family, and I think Meghan Markle tries to claim that, but it was actually Emma,' she said. 'I'm of mixed heritage, half-Nigerian, half-English,' added Emma, who became the Marchioness of Bath after her husband Ceawlin Thynn's father, Alexander Thynn, died in 2020. 'The press commented heavily on the fact that I was going to become the first woman of colour to hold this title, and I acknowledge the fact that... the only woman of colour in this position is me, still to this day,' she continued.
Meanwhile, Emma also attended the King’s Trust Gala in New York, alongside Meghan's former bestie Edward Enninful, greeting King Charles on his US tour. Following the launch of the duchess' Netflix series in 2025, With Love, Meghan, eagle-eyed viewers spotted a series of similarities to a YouTube cooking show Emma's Kitchen, hosted by the marchioness. The Celebrity MasterChef contestant – formally styled as Emma Thynn, Viscountess Weymouth - posts videos of her creations after launching the brand in 2015 using the backdrop of the original kitchens within Longleat House.
One observer tweeted similar still images from each show, writing: 'Emma Weymouth, Marchioness of Bath, has had a cooking programme at Longleat estate for nine years!' Another said: 'Why is Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex trying to channel Emma Thynn, Marchioness of Bath? TBH, Emma seems more natural while Meghan often seems like she's acting from a script. I think Meghan should focus strictly on charity work.' A third added: 'This woman has no original idea! This is a copy of Emma's Kitchen!' And a fourth tweeted: 'Very much like Emma's Kitchen on YouTube.' When previously asked by the Daily Mail's Harriet Kean what she thought of claims Meghan had copied her, Emma raised her eyebrow and said: 'No comment.'
