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King Abdullah of Jordan's £8million court battle over question of courtesy
King Abdullah of Jordan is suing the trustees of a London estate for allegedly refusing to honour a 'gentlemen’s agreement'.
King Abdullah is said to be 'deeply troubled' by the expensive legal case. Photo: YOUSEF ALLAN
By Tim Walker
7:30AM GMT 27 Jan 2012
12 Comments
Is the “gentlemen’s agreement” dead? King Abdullah of Jordan has begun an £8million battle in the High Court in the hope that it is not.
The Sandhurst-trained monarch is suing the Phillimore Estate over the ownership of two houses in Kensington. He claims that the trustees of the estate refused to honour a “gentlemen’s agreement” made in 1996, a year after he bought the leaseholds of two adjoining houses.
The king alleges that this agreement obliges the trustees to transfer the freeholds of the two properties to him when he pays £500,000 for each. They strongly dispute this.
“It is a deeply troubling state of affairs for the king,” his solicitor, Dr Jamal Nasir, tells Mandrake. “The king has enjoyed a good relationship with those who look after Upper Phillimore Gardens, until now. They are failing to honour their gentlemen’s agreement.” Dr Nasir says the king has spent up to £5million on renovating the houses.
Abdullah, who turns 50 next week, is also suing the trustees of the estate – Francis Carnwath, Michael Chamberlayne and John Russell – for damages of £8million. The trustees’ solicitor, Paul Roberts, of Forsters, says his clients will contest the king's claim. He says any “gentlemen’s agreement which may or may not have been made is spurious” and “can’t be upheld in a court of law”.
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He adds: “My clients accept that his leasehold lasts until the year 2064. That is not in contention. However, they are not obliged in any way to sell him the freehold.”
A spokesman for King Abdullah assures me that the houses belong to him not personally, but in his capacity as head of state and remain the property of the state of Jordan.
The case will be watched closely by the king’s neighbour, Elena Franchuk, a friend of Sir Elton John. The Ukranian businesswoman and philanthropist lives in a 10-bedroom villa, which features an underground swimming pool, gym, sauna and cinema. The villa became the world’s most expensive home when it was bought for £80 million in 2008.
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Asma Alam
01/27/2012 09:32 PM
bottom line is , The King is the head of a state, therefore these houses were registered in his name to insure payment. pls check your sources and do your homework.
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Faisal Almomani
01/27/2012 08:55 PM
If anyone has been to London, one would know that the building belongs to the Embassy and Military Attaché building. Stop the lies & sensationalism .... I believe you owe the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan an apology
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Hanin Abu-Shamat
01/27/2012 07:07 PM
LOL! This is actually funny, you do know that these are houses of the government no? Consulate and Embassy! Tsk tsk tsk. Lame article.
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Zweina Madi
01/27/2012 06:58 PM
The property in question is the Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and not private property of His Majesty King Abdullah II, and as per the law of your country in 1947 when the property was rented, it had to be registered in the name of the head of state to ensure payment, and not in the name of the country or government. An esteemed news establishment such as the Daily Telegraph should have researched the story more thoroughly prior to publishing. I believe you owe the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan an apology.
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SandraJezrawi
01/27/2012 06:45 PM
I agree with zaid majali you should do your homework and know those are properties of Jordanian government representing the Jordan embassy in UK. I guess an apology is needed from your newspaper to our Country Jordan.
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Zaid Almajali
01/27/2012 06:05 PM
I guess that a respectful newspaper should know the difference between the property of HM King Abdullah and the property of Jordanian government, those buildings represent the Jordanian Embassy !
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alaa yusif
01/27/2012 05:40 PM
@Zaid785 ما في مغفل الا انت يا زيد ..يا كاره الاردن . والخبر الصحيح . للذي لم يزور لندن، هذا مبنى السفارة والملحقية العسكرية وليس بيت جلالة الملك.يكفينا اثارة
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Sayed Makkawi
01/27/2012 02:16 PM
Jordanians with a monthly average income of less than $200 must boycott buying houses in kensingston .
Now Jordanians know why the king is not doing anything to fight or disclose huge corruption files ( the ones that were not completely destroyed by fire .. according to a high Jordanian official ) because he is busy with the lawsuit.
Talking about fire and lawsuit, a young Jordanian ( around 20 years old ) was sentenced to two years in prison for burning the king's picture.
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simon21
01/27/2012 11:21 AM
The dispute is easily resolved. The Government could declare teh UK will not accept money from Kings, dictators, torturers, and assorted pooh-bahs.
But that would involve moral courage
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rugby_loving_english_man
01/27/2012 10:17 AM
There is far too much tainted Islamic money in London.
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knowitall
01/27/2012 12:12 PM
Yes there is! .... but who gave it to them ???
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simon21
01/27/2012 11:19 AM
Far too much tainted white money too
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Yesterday 09:29 PM
King Abdullah of Jordan's £8million court battle over question of courtesy - Telegraph http://t.co/8FnBAkUq via @Telegraph
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Yesterday 03:07 PM
King Abdullah of Jordan's £8M court battle over question of courtesy.He's spent up 2 £5M on renovation http://t.co/Q2svaC3j #Reformjo #Jo
Shahzeydo on
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Yesterday 12:24 PM
Thinking this problematic claim (re: #Jo London Embassy) might end in a diplomatic 'out of court' settlement: http://t.co/9aInkKG9
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King Abdullah of #Jordan £8million court battle over question of courtesy - Telegraph http://t.co/acqs1YDU via @Telegraph a different angle
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King Abdullah of #Jordan's £8million court battle over question of courtesy - http://t.co/VicVfmvf @Telegraph
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King Abdullah of Jordan's £8million court battle over question of courtesy - Telegraph http://t.co/tvop7DTJ via @Telegraph
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RT @eman: King Abdullah of Jordan's £8million court battle over question of courtesy http://t.co/WRsL97cW #JO
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01/27/2012 07:11 PM
When @Telegraph doesn't do its research! Its the Jordanian Embassy! King Abdullah £8million court battle.... http://t.co/po7x8jIc #ReformJO
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