'Wifelets' may have claim to Marquess of Bath's £23m fortune – against his will

During his lifetime, the 7th Marquess of Bath faced the tricky task of keeping all 74 of his so-called “wifelets” happy. Keeping them satisfied after his death, however, may prove even more difficult.

Several of the flamboyant Longleat owner’s former lovers have been informed that they may be entitled to part of his £23 million fortune, despite being snubbed in his will.

Known for his colourful clothes and vast collection of erotic murals, Alexander Thynn liked to claim that he kept 74 lovers, or “wifelets”, as he called them.

Yet after his death last April from Covid, it emerged that the 87-year-old had left nothing behind for his mistresses. Instead, most of Lord Bath’s fortune was left to his 78-year-old widow, Anna, and their two children.

Earlier this year, his son Ceawlin Thynn, who is now the 8th Marquess of Bath, began the process of evicting “wifelet” Trudi Juggernauth-Sharma from her cottage on the Longleat estate.

Two more of Lord Bath’s former companions - Amanda Doyle and Mariella Antonella - are also believed to have homes on the 10,000 acre property, home to the Longleat safari park.

© Edward Lloyd /Alpha Photo Press Agency Ltd. The Marquess of Bath pictured with Trudi Juggernauth-Sharma, who is now being evicted from her cottage on the Longleat estate - Edward Lloyd /Alpha Photo Press Agency Ltd.

But Ms Juggernauth-Sharma, a former model, is among a number of “wifelets” to have recently received a legal letter revealing that they may be entitled to a share of £14.4 million left after settlement of taxes and Lord Bath’s debts.

A spokesman for the law firm Sinclair Gibson, acting on behalf of the estate’s executors, confirmed that a number of women may have a valid claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975.

The Act says that anyone who was being “maintained, either wholly or partly, by the deceased” could be entitled to financial provision if the will was inadequate for their needs.

“Executors are required to administer the estates of deceased persons, and part of that process is identifying potential claims against estates,” a Sinclair Gibson spokesman told the Daily Mail.

“The purpose of the letter was to suggest to the individuals concerned that they take legal advice on their positions in order that the late Lord Bath's estate can be administered in a timely fashion.”

Each of the women has been given until February to respond.

Pair met over mackerel

Known as “wifelet number 68”, Ms Juggernauth-Sharma claims to have been Lord Bath's girlfriend since 1998 when she spotted him swallowing a whole mackerel at a London party. Last night she told the Telegraph that she “couldn’t yet say” whether she or any other of Lord Bath’s former lovers would lay a claim on his fortune.

“Anything is possible,” she said.

“All I can say is that I am no enemy of Longleat. This is a delicate matter but I’m sure that everything will be dealt with in the correct way.

“Lord Bath is dead now, bless him. But I never played games during all the time I knew him. I valued our friendship very much.

“We’ll wait to see what happens. Ceawlin can talk to me at any time, but he chooses not to.”

An unorthodox life without a 'soul mate'

During his unorthodox life Lord Bath pursued a career as an artist, novelist and sexual libertine, famously painting garish erotic murals on the walls of Longleat’s west wing.

In 1969 he married Anna Gael, in an arrangement whereby both were free to take lovers and mostly lived apart. His many girlfriends included a model, a Chinese artist, a 17-year-old from Sri Lanka, a Wessex housewife, the Bond girl Sylvana Henriques and Jo-Jo Laine, former wife of the Wings musician Denny Laine.

Speaking to the broadcaster Gyles Brandreth before his death, Lord Bath said: "Have I missed out on the pairing with a soul mate?’

“Since you ask, which I don’t think anyone has before, I do think it would have been nice to have had that experience. But I haven’t. And it’s too late now.”

Ceawlin Thynn could not be reached for comment.

Reference: The Telegraph: Bill Gardner