Margaret's 'secret love child' is just a fantasist, rules judge

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12 April 2012

An accountant who believes he is the secret son of Princess Margaret lost his bid to gain access to her will.

Robert Brown, 52, is convinced he is the illegitimate child of the Queen's younger sister, born six years before her legitimate son Viscount Linley.

And he believes Princess Margaret's will, which is not open for public inspection, could prove his case.

But one of the country's most senior judges said his claim relied on "thoughts, emotions and fantasies".

Family Division President Sir Mark Potter threw out an appeal by Mr Brown to see the contents of Princess Margaret's will, along with that of her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

The judge said: "The plaintiff's claim should be struck out as vexatious and an abuse of process, made as it is solely for the purpose of seeking to establish an imaginary and baseless claim."

Mr Brown, from Jersey, has said his birth in Nairobi, Kenya, could have been the result of a liaison between the princess and her former beau, Group Captain Peter Townsend. If his theory was true he would be 12th in line to the throne.

In his judgment, Sir Mark said there was no reason to suppose the businessman was anything other than the legitimate son of the couple who raised him, Douglas and Cynthia Brown.

One theory used to support the businessman's claim to royal blood was that, to avoid public scandal, the Browns agreed to adopt Princess Margaret's illegitimate baby.

He has said that pictures taken of the princess during 1954 show her with an expanding waistline and around the time of his birth on January 5, 1955, the princess was confined to bed.

Sir Mark accepted the claim was made in good faith, but said it had no rational basis.

After the hearing Mr Brown indicated he planned to appeal and said that he hoped one day his belief would be vindicated.

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