Earl of Yarmouth Takes Parents to Court Over £85m Estate Dispute

William Seymour claims family tensions over Ragley Hall inheritance caused personal trauma and seeks legal action to replace trustees of the estate.

William Seymour, the Earl of Yarmouth, is suing his parents, the Marquess and Marchioness of Hertford, over their decision not to hand him control of the £85 million Ragley Hall estate at age 30 as he expected.
The 400-year-old estate, which includes a Palladian mansion, farmland, and woodland, is controlled by family trusts that Seymour alleges have mismanaged the assets and excluded him from decision-making.
Seymour claims the family dispute, which began in 2018 after his marriage to Kelsey Wells, has caused him significant emotional distress, requiring therapy to cope with the fallout.
The Marquess and Marchioness argue that Seymour has acted unreasonably, including sending inflammatory emails and recording conversations, and they oppose his efforts to replace the trustees.
A High Court ruling on the case, which seeks to dismantle the current trust structure, is pending as family relationships remain strained.