Sons of 'Fifth Beatle' George Martin square off in bitter row over father's will after producer's
There was shock when legendary music producer George Martin – known as the 'Fifth Beatle' – died in 2016 and left just £1million in his will.
His eldest daughter Alexis Stratfold said at the time that it was a 'joke' for her to get £68,000 in a bequest (alongside his chauffeur and secretary) when her father's wealth had been estimated at between £250-400 million. But she was lucky. Her brother Greg – Martin's eldest son – was cut out altogether.
And it can be revealed that Greg is consulting lawyers because he believes his half-brother Giles may have benefited from a house and a £3.5million legacy. These, Greg claims, were separate from the will and were 'always meant to be his'. Alexis and Greg are George Martin's children by his first wife, Sheena Chisholm. But their father left her for Judy Lockhart-Smith, a secretary at the Beatles label Parlophone, in 1962, and they had two children: Giles and Lucie.
The older children were largely excluded from Martin's successful later life. Alexis was bitterly hurt when invitations to their father's memorial did not include their names. Greg did not even attend. The actor, writer and producer told me: 'The only thing I inherited from my father was his coat of arms. I was not even mentioned in the will, and Alexis was left a small amount of money on the same terms as some of his staff.
There was shock when legendary music producer George Martin – known as the 'Fifth Beatle' – died in 2016 and left just £1million in his will - but his son Greg – Martin's eldest – was cut out altogether (Greg and Martin seen in 1999)
'It was painful. It is painful. I believe that my father would not have done that if it was not for Judy. 'He used to try and slip me money sometimes, like $100, and say: 'Don't tell Judy!' He added: 'I believe there must be a huge amount of money hidden away'.'
Source: dailymail.co.uk/Alison Boshoff
