The Duchess of Cornwall got some bad news this week after her distant cousin Charles Villiers reportedly took his own life following an eight-year divorce battle.
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The Times reported that Charles had been staying at the Durrants Hotel in London when he was found dead by a housekeeper. The 59-year-old aristocrat and his estranged wife Emma, 62, split in 2012 but disagreed over whether to settle their divorce in Scottish or English courts. He went on to get engaged to Heidi Innes but they also went their separate ways in February 2022.
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See inside Duchess Camilla's family member's marriage and very public divorce, which is believed to be Britain's longest-running case.
When did Charles Villiers get married?
While their divorce hit the headlines on many occasions, Charles and Emma Villers' wedding is not nearly as well documented. The former couple are believed to have tied the knot in 1994 but split in 2012 after 18 years of marriage. They are parents to daughter Clarissa.
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Why did Charles Villiers get divorced?
They filed for divorce in 2014 and Charles continued to live in Scotland while Emma moved to England. The exact reason for their split has not been revealed, but Charles later suggested that they had faced difficulty expanding their family.
He claimed that Emma had lied about her age at the time of their marriage, which prompted a police investigation – and the claims were later dismissed.
"I'm left in the situation that my wife might still try to claim millions of pounds off me, solely owing to the fact that we were married when, arguably, she married me under false pretences as I believed she was in her thirties, not in her forties in 1994, almost past child-bearing," Charles told The Sunday Times.
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Charles was the Duchess of Cornwall's distant cousin
This was not the only disagreement among the former couple, whose divorce spanned five courts and eight years. Charles wanted their financial settlement to take place in a Scottish court while his estranged wife wanted the English courts which would reportedly be more advantageous for her – perhaps because they allow for lifelong financial support following a divorce.
The Supreme Court justices ruled against Charles, but he said he was unable to pay the maintenance and £3.5 million settlement requested by Emma.
According to The Independent, Mr Justice Mostyn said both Charles and Emma had been left "financially ruined" and may also be "psychologically damaged" by the lengthy court battles. Charles was later declared bankrupt, and a friend reportedly encouraged him to visit a clinic in London to help his mental health before he passed away.
Who was Charles Villiers' fiancée?
Charles was also engaged to opera singer Heidi
During his divorce drama, Charles found love again when he met opera singer Heidi Innes in 2017. They went on to get engaged and had a "union ceremony" at their rented home in Tyninghame in Scotland, for which they were later ordered to pay £18,000 in rent arrears.
After nearly five years together, 45-year-old Heidi ended their relationship in February 2022, citing: "He's not the man I thought he was."
She explained to the Daily Mail: "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."
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