A squatter who claimed that she should inherit a country mansion owned by a descendant of William Gladstone faces a £1.3m legal bill after losing a court battle.
A High Court judge has given Leigh White until Friday to leave Wotton House, a Grade I listed property near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, after she lost a bitter dispute with David Gladstone, Britain’s former high commissioner to Sri Lanka.
White, a lawyer, was formerly a friend of Gladstone, who is related to the late-19th-century Liberal prime minister. She moved into the property in 2017 after the death of Gladstone’s son.
She later claimed Gladstone had promised that the country house would be hers after he died.
Mr Justice Trower rejected White’s claim after the dispute was heard in October and earlier in February. She now faces court costs of more than £1m after being ordered to bear all legal bills for the case. The judge also ordered White to leave the house before Friday so that Gladstone can return.
