Bo Bruce’s father has described her High Court battle with her viscount brother over their multimillion pound inheritance as a ‘ludicrous waste of money’ that should never have gone to court.
Her father, the Earl of Cardigan, said that the matter had caused a ‘great rift’ between the siblings which would be hard to fix.
Ms Bruce, 37, singer-songwriter and star of the Voice UK, was embroiled in a rift with her brother Thomas, Viscount Savernake over their late mother’s estate.
Their mother, the former countess of Cardigan, Lady Rosamond, left her estate to her two children in equal shares, including the £2million Leigh Hill House, which she received in divorce from the Earl of Cardigan in 2009.
The viscount had been named as administrator of the estate in 2012 but had refused to sell the house and share the inheritance with his sister.
Ms Bruce had taken her brother to court after his refusal and last week won, after a two-day hearing. She had said after the verdict that she was ‘happy’ the affair had come to an end.
Their father, Lord Cardigan, described the row between the siblings as ‘very sad’ to watch.
Bo Bruce’s father (pictured) has described her High Court battle with her viscount brother over their multimillion pound inheritance as a ‘ludicrous waste of money’ that should never have gone to court
Speaking to the Times he said: ‘I felt a mixture of anger at the ludicrous waste of serious amounts of money and sadness that it had come to this.
‘I know from speaking to my daughter that she is very deeply saddened that her relationship with her sibling, a relationship that she greatly values, has been so severely damaged by this.’
He added that it was going to take ‘work’ to heal the rift between the siblings.
Ms Bruce, had initially wanted the house to stay in the family but changed her mind and asked for it to be sold in 2015.
Her next years were spent persuading her brother to sell the house or buy her share of it.
Ms Bruce, who was described as being ‘desperate for money’ had written to her brother in 2018 that she felt ‘locked into ownership’ of a property that was her ‘only financial security.’
However, Ms Bruce did not live in it. Her brother, who was ‘extremely wealthy’, lived in the house.
Ms Bruce, 37, singer-songwriter and star of the Voice UK, was embroiled in a rift with her brother Thomas, Viscount Savernake (pictured) over their late mother’s estate
Their mother, the former countess of Cardigan, left her estate to her two children in equal shares, including the £2million Leigh Hill House, which she received in divorce from the Earl of Cardigan in 2009. Pictured: Bo Bruce
Instead of agreeing to selling the house or buying her share of it, the viscount paid her £20,000 annual rent since 2015.
Deputy Master John Linwood ordered the viscount to be sacked as estate executor, in a ruling that paved the way for the house to be sold.
He added that Ms Bruce’s brother had ‘ignored his responsibilities’ to his sister while claiming that he wanted to keep the house in the family.
The court heard that there was no ‘wrongdoing’ by the viscount but that his replacement as executor of the home could get the property, worth £2.4 million, sold or bought out.
Ms Bruce had taken her brother to court after his refusal and last week won, after a two-day hearing. She had said after the verdict that she was ‘happy’ the affair had come to an end. Pictured: Lady Rosamond
Their father said the matter could have been resolved differently and that his son’s role was ‘conflicted’ as the beneficiary and executor of his mother’s estate.
The Earl was disallowed from running the estate in 2008 before his divorce and move to the US.
The Earl of Cardigan was removed from running the estate in 2008, before the divorce and his move to the US.
Deputy Master John Linwood ordered the viscount to be sacked as estate executor, in a ruling that paved the way for the house to be sold. Pictured: Leigh Hill House
He said he has not spoken to his son about the court defeat and has since returned to Britain with his present wife Joanne.
The Earl added that an agreement in 2020 to run the estate with his son had been left unresolved.
He added that it is unresolved and on the back burner while the family understood the damage to the estate that his son’s inevitable and disastrous court defeat has caused.
The Earl had said in 2020 that he hoped to encourage his bachelor son to continue their family line, which can be traced back 31 generations.
He had said he would not sell the estate, which was handed to the family by William the Conqueror in 1067.
