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| Accountant seeks to prove he is Princess Margaret's secret son | Accountant seeks to prove he is Princess Margaret's secret son |
| (7 days later) | |
| A Jersey accountant is restarting his legal battle to find out if he is Princess Margaret's secret illegitimate son. | A Jersey accountant is restarting his legal battle to find out if he is Princess Margaret's secret illegitimate son. |
| Robert Brown, 57, said he was prepared to spend up to £100,000 fighting for access to sensitive documents relating to her will and he has appointed solicitors to obtain secret court papers, known as a practice direction, about the sealing of royal wills drawn up around the time of Margaret's death in 2002. | Robert Brown, 57, said he was prepared to spend up to £100,000 fighting for access to sensitive documents relating to her will and he has appointed solicitors to obtain secret court papers, known as a practice direction, about the sealing of royal wills drawn up around the time of Margaret's death in 2002. |
| Brown believes he was born to Princess Margaret in 1955 and his father was possibly Robin Douglas Home. He claims that the later stages of her pregnancy were covered up with the use of body doubles and that he was sent to Kenya to be brought up as the child of Cynthia and Douglas Brown in Nairobi. | Brown believes he was born to Princess Margaret in 1955 and his father was possibly Robin Douglas Home. He claims that the later stages of her pregnancy were covered up with the use of body doubles and that he was sent to Kenya to be brought up as the child of Cynthia and Douglas Brown in Nairobi. |
| He believes the documents will show how Buckingham Palace, the attorney general and a senior judge acted together to maintain secrecy around the Queen's sister's last testament, in which he hopes details of his birth are included. | He believes the documents will show how Buckingham Palace, the attorney general and a senior judge acted together to maintain secrecy around the Queen's sister's last testament, in which he hopes details of his birth are included. |
| Brown's case has been dismissed by lawyers for the royal family in a previous court hearing as that of "a fantasist seeking to feed his private obsession". But he insists he has the right to find out if the Queen's sister is his mother and he has appointed the law firm Christian Khan, which describes itself as having a reputation for "acting in political cases where individuals bring or defend proceedings against larger organisations, including the state". | Brown's case has been dismissed by lawyers for the royal family in a previous court hearing as that of "a fantasist seeking to feed his private obsession". But he insists he has the right to find out if the Queen's sister is his mother and he has appointed the law firm Christian Khan, which describes itself as having a reputation for "acting in political cases where individuals bring or defend proceedings against larger organisations, including the state". |
| Records show Brown, who lives in the Jersey parish of St Lawrence, was born on 5 January 1955 in Nairobi, Kenya, but his birth was not registered until 2 February. He believes it is significant that a privy council meeting was held on the day he was born. It was later that year that Princess Margaret called off her wedding to Peter Townsend. Brown's parents are registered as Cynthia and Douglas Brown, who are both now dead, and he claims Cynthia had been a model working for Hardy Amies, a favoured designer of the princess. | Records show Brown, who lives in the Jersey parish of St Lawrence, was born on 5 January 1955 in Nairobi, Kenya, but his birth was not registered until 2 February. He believes it is significant that a privy council meeting was held on the day he was born. It was later that year that Princess Margaret called off her wedding to Peter Townsend. Brown's parents are registered as Cynthia and Douglas Brown, who are both now dead, and he claims Cynthia had been a model working for Hardy Amies, a favoured designer of the princess. |
| A spokesman for the Queen said: "Buckingham Palace does not comment on the allegations made by Mr Brown." | A spokesman for the Queen said: "Buckingham Palace does not comment on the allegations made by Mr Brown." |
| Aside from finding out if he is royal and whether he is due any bequest, Brown said there was an issue of constitutional significance at stake in his battle to obtain the practice direction: "The separation and independence of the judiciary from the Crown and legislature, in that the practice direction was created in utter secrecy by discussion between Her Majesty, the palace, Farrer & Co [the Queen's lawyers], the attorney general, and senior judges including the then head of the family division." | Aside from finding out if he is royal and whether he is due any bequest, Brown said there was an issue of constitutional significance at stake in his battle to obtain the practice direction: "The separation and independence of the judiciary from the Crown and legislature, in that the practice direction was created in utter secrecy by discussion between Her Majesty, the palace, Farrer & Co [the Queen's lawyers], the attorney general, and senior judges including the then head of the family division." |
| He said: "It is constitutionally wholly inappropriate for the palace and private lawyers with the assistance of the attorney general to enter into utterly secret formal arrangements, to reflect Her Majesty's wishes, with senior judges." | He said: "It is constitutionally wholly inappropriate for the palace and private lawyers with the assistance of the attorney general to enter into utterly secret formal arrangements, to reflect Her Majesty's wishes, with senior judges." |
| Brown went to the high court to seek disclosure of her will in 2006 and 2007 when Sir Mark Porter, president of the family division, said it was an "imaginary and baseless claim". Appearing for Brown in the case, Geoffrey Robertson QC told the court he was "a perfectly rational man who seeks peace of mind". He lost the case, but Brown is now fighting under freedom of information laws. | Brown went to the high court to seek disclosure of her will in 2006 and 2007 when Sir Mark Porter, president of the family division, said it was an "imaginary and baseless claim". Appearing for Brown in the case, Geoffrey Robertson QC told the court he was "a perfectly rational man who seeks peace of mind". He lost the case, but Brown is now fighting under freedom of information laws. |
| His decision to appeal against the refusal of an information tribunal judge to release the papers comes as the royal family and the government battle on several fronts to resist efforts to find out more about their dealings. | His decision to appeal against the refusal of an information tribunal judge to release the papers comes as the royal family and the government battle on several fronts to resist efforts to find out more about their dealings. |
| Last month, Dominic Grieve, the attorney general, issued a veto that puts an absolute block on the publication of 27 letters between Prince Charles and ministers. Grieve said the letters contained the "particularly frank" and "most deeply held personal views and beliefs". | Last month, Dominic Grieve, the attorney general, issued a veto that puts an absolute block on the publication of 27 letters between Prince Charles and ministers. Grieve said the letters contained the "particularly frank" and "most deeply held personal views and beliefs". |
| In September, the Cabinet Office launched a legal challenge to a ruling which warned that the government could be in contempt of court if it did not publish Whitehall guidance on a process which instructs civil servants to seek the approval of Prince Charles and the Queen over some new laws. | In September, the Cabinet Office launched a legal challenge to a ruling which warned that the government could be in contempt of court if it did not publish Whitehall guidance on a process which instructs civil servants to seek the approval of Prince Charles and the Queen over some new laws. |
| Brown told the Guardian: "I can't get it out of my head that I am right. I can understand people are sceptical because it seems to be childhood fantasy stuff, but it is not like that with me." | Brown told the Guardian: "I can't get it out of my head that I am right. I can understand people are sceptical because it seems to be childhood fantasy stuff, but it is not like that with me." |
| He said he had long harboured a feeling that he was not the natural son of Douglas and Cynthia and that they were distant compared to the way they treated his supposed siblings. He said that during his childhood, his birthday would sometimes be forgotten altogether, and neither Cynthia nor Douglas ever discussed his birth with him. After feeling certain that he was an illegitimate royal, he initially looked into whether he was related to Edward VIII, before considering whether Prince Philip might be his father. | He said he had long harboured a feeling that he was not the natural son of Douglas and Cynthia and that they were distant compared to the way they treated his supposed siblings. He said that during his childhood, his birthday would sometimes be forgotten altogether, and neither Cynthia nor Douglas ever discussed his birth with him. After feeling certain that he was an illegitimate royal, he initially looked into whether he was related to Edward VIII, before considering whether Prince Philip might be his father. |
| "Cynthia gave me my birth certificate in my early 20s in a rather stiff, matter-of-fact way – a pure statement of fact in a slightly stressed monotone. It struck me as odd at the time – on her part devoid of emotion, slightly embarrassed, and her manner did not invite discussion," he said. "Odd for a mother but maybe not in the circumstances given she would have played a part if only of silence in the registration of the birth." | "Cynthia gave me my birth certificate in my early 20s in a rather stiff, matter-of-fact way – a pure statement of fact in a slightly stressed monotone. It struck me as odd at the time – on her part devoid of emotion, slightly embarrassed, and her manner did not invite discussion," he said. "Odd for a mother but maybe not in the circumstances given she would have played a part if only of silence in the registration of the birth." |
| Asked what he would feel if it were proved he were part of the royal family, he said: "It would be nice to be recognised as a human being of equal value." | Asked what he would feel if it were proved he were part of the royal family, he said: "It would be nice to be recognised as a human being of equal value." |
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