Camilla’s cousin who was embroiled in one of Britain’s longest divorce battles ‘is found dead after taking his own life in a London hotel room’

• Charles Villiers had spent eight years in divorce battle with wife Emma Villiers
• Couple separated in 2012 and filed for divorce in 2014 and fight was ongoing
• Reports suggest Mr Villiers took his own life in a London hotel room last week 

A distant relative of the Duchess of Cornwall who was embroiled in one of Britain’s longest-running divorce battles has taken his own life in a London hotel room.

Charles Villiers and estranged wife Emma Villiers hit headlines after becoming involved in a dispute over whether their divorce should be settled in Scottish or English courts.

The couple separated in 2012 and filed for divorce in 2014, making their bitter marital conflict one of the longest on record as at the time of his death it was still unresolved.

According to the Times, the 59-year-old was found dead by a housekeeper in a room at the Durrants Hotel, Marylebone, west London, last week.

The newspaper reports that he had been staying on sofas after falling into financial difficulty and had been staying on a friend’s yacht in the Greek islands earlier this month.

But due to concerns about his mental health, the friend arranged for Mr Villiers to fly back to the UK and visit a clinic. 

Charles Villiers, a distant relative of the Duchess of Cornwall who was embroiled in one of Britain’s longest-running divorce battles has taken his own life in a London hotel room

Mr Villiers had spent eight years warring with his estranged wife, Emma, in long-running legal battles over maintenance payments. Pictured: Emma Villiers (right) and her daughter Clarissa

Instead of going to the clinic, Mr Villiers checked into the Durrants Hotel last Wednesday and took his own life the following day, according to the Times.

Mr Villiers, a 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.

But Supreme Court justices ruled against him in a landmark decision.

The Supreme Court subsequently ruled that Mrs Villiers could proceed with her application for maintenance in England.

In March 2021, Mr Justice Mostyn, of the High Court’s family division, ruled  that Mr Villiers was heavily in debt and should not be required to pay maintenance. 

He stated that Mr and Mrs Villiers had been left ‘financially ruined’ by the ‘terrible’ litigation and he suspected both were also ‘psychologically damaged’. 

Aristocrat Charles Villiers is the cousin of Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall (pictured)

But Mrs Villiers persuaded Lord Justice Moylan, Lord Justice Coulson and Lord Justice Arnold to overturn the ruling on appeal.

The three judges decided that Mr Justice Mostyn had been wrong to dismiss an application Mrs Villiers made for maintenance.

They had considered arguments at a Court of Appeal hearing in London in January and published a ruling in June this year and reached the ‘clear conclusion’ that it had been wrong to dismiss Mrs Villiers’ application.

Judges have heard how Mr and Mrs Villiers had lived at Milton House, a Georgian manor near Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire. But the home was repossessed in 2015.

At the most recent court hearing, Mr Justice Mostyn said both Mr and Mrs Villiers had made accusations against the other after ‘love’ turned to ‘hatred’.

Mr Villiers had been engaged to opera singer Heidi Innes, 45, but she ended their relationship in February this year. 

Opera singer Heidi Innes (pictured with Charles) left the Scottish aristocrat in February 

Miss Innes, who had been with Mr Villiers for nearly five years, said: ‘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.’

The couple were forced to leave their rented cottage in Tyninghame in November after a tribunal ordered them to pay £18,000 in rent arrears, run up during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Following their departure from East Lothian, they moved to Budapest, in Hungary, where she had bought a small flat in 2020 with a view to it becoming a holiday let.

The Times reports that Villiers was recently declared bankrupt and had been staying on friends’ sofas at the time of his death.

MailOnline has contacted the Metropolitan Police for comment. 

Source: Read Full Article