In his Sun column yesterday, Kelvin MacKenzie recalled that during his editorship of the paper (1981-94) “all manner of stuff came my way”. He gave this example:
“On one occasion a chap came to me with what turned out to be the last will and testament of Lord Rothermere, owner of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.
Lord Rothermere was a non-dom and appeared from the will to have a complicated domestic relationship involving his wife and a lady friend from the other side of the world.
So I phoned the editor – a talented chap called David English – and told him I was currently reading his owner’s will.
He didn’t ask me how I got it but did have one question that has stayed with me over time. It was simply: ‘Has he left me anything?’”.
Needless to say, the Sun did not publish and be damned. The contents of the will did not appear in print.
The Lord Rothermere was Vere, the third viscount and father of the fourth and current viscount, Jonathan. Obviously, he was the major beneficiary of that will since he inherited the ownership of the papers and is chairman of the Daily Mail & General Trust. And, incidentally, he also continued another family tradition: he has non-domicile tax status.
