The widow of a multi-millionaire author has blasted his ‘cruel and greedy’ children during a High Court fight over her £3.5million family home and a valuable art collection.
Rana Seale, a 29-year-old married man, was a world-famous writer Patrick Seale and shared their six-bedroom, three-storey home in Holland Park, west London.
She says their daughter Yasmine Seale and two of her stepchildren – one of them the child of Martin Amis and the other a former understudy to Sir Kenneth Branagh – are now ‘suing to take away her house’.
The couple had a ‘stormy’ relationship and Mr Seale, who was respected for his works as a historian of the Middle East, spoke to lawyers about divorcing his wife before he died, aged 83, from brain cancer in April 2014.
Rana Seale is the widow of Patrick Seale (left), a world-famous journalist and historian. She’s waging court battle with her daughter
The Oxford-educated Mr Seale ended the joint tenancy at their home. His half was given to his estate, instead of Mrs Seale.
Yasmine Seale’s stepchildren Delilah Jeary, and Orlando Seale are now suing her in an attempt to get the house she lives in sold and half the proceeds.
But Mrs Seale, 63, backed by the couple’s disabled son Alexander, with whom she lives, is fighting to get her late husband’s half signed back over to her.
Rana missed the court deadlines and was therefore expelled from the Yasmine Orlando, Delilah and Yasmine cases. Alexander is allowed to take part.
The court learned that Alexander and she want their involvement to be reinstituted so they can unite.
Even if Alexander loses, she still stands to gain, since she can continue to live there with him.
During a hearing at the High Court, she said she and her son are living in fear of being ‘thrown out on the streets’ if she loses.
Before the January hearing, Mrs Seale attacked the three as “cruel and litigious” and called them ‘ruining their health.
She told Mrs Justice Bacon that nothing could give them back the five years and a half years of burlesque proceedings against Alexander, myself, and his siblings.
The court heard Middle East expert Patrick and Rana, a British-Syrian historian, bought their three-storey, six-bedroom home in St Ann’s Villas for £1.75m in 2009 and, according to an online house price calculator, it is now worth about £3.5m.
Orlando Seale was born to Mr Seale. Delilah (45), an ITN producer, was also his child. She was the result of an affair Amis had in the past with Miss Heath.
Rana, her stepdaughter Yasmine and her other children are fighting Rana’s battle after her husband died in 2015.
The court heard Middle East expert Patrick and Rana, a British-Syrian historian, bought their three-storey, six-bedroom home in St Ann’s Villas for £1.75m in 2009 and, according to an online house price calculator, it is now worth about £3.5m
Delilah’s mother, Delilah Seale was his caregiver and she learned from him that Amis was her biological father before she entered university. Together, Mr. Seale and Mrs Seale had Yasmine (poet and writer), and Alexander Seale (33)
His wealth was divided equally by Mr Seale in his will among Mrs Seale, the four children.
Alexander and Mrs Seale filed legal proceedings against the sale, asserting that the property should be transferred to Mrs Seale.
Mother and son say terminally ill Mr Seale was under ‘undue influence’ in the weeks before he died, when he began divorce proceedings and severed the joint tenancy.
Representing herself, Mrs Seale – a British-Syrian historian – said threats of divorce featured in their ‘stormy’ relationship, but never happened.
“I totally deny the possibility that he tried to divorce me…I absolutely deny that any divorce proceedings are a fraud to take half of my marital property after 29 years.
Yasmine’s stepchildren, Delilah Jeary and Orlando Seale (pictured), are also suing.
Alexander is entitled to five percent each of her and Alexander’s shares under Patrick’s will. Alexander also objects to the fact that she would have to hand them over to solicitors.
Fowler claimed that the brothers were acting in the correct capacity as executors, seeking to “get in” Patrick’s assets in order for them to be sold so that everyone can get their proper inheritance.
He said, “This was an estate asset. They were trying to get in.” “All five of them have an interest when it is realized.
Barrister Richard Fowler denied any undue influence to Jasmine and Delilah, as well as Orlando.
Patrick said that he had been told by his solicitor to seperate the joint ownership in order to “protect his interests” when he was considering divorcing.
Patrick said that the children had no control over Patrick’s finances or daily responsibility for Patrick’s care.
Fowler insists that they were not acting in control of Patrick but rather as assistants with him giving instructions and them carrying out the tasks.
Delilah is the ITN producer who Mr Seale mentioned. She was his second wife, Lamorna heath’s affair with Martin Amis. Pictured: Delilah with Amis and her son Isaac