Margaret's 'son' takes will battle to court

The man who claims to be the illegitimate son of Princess Margaret has started his legal battle with the Queen's solicitors to gain the right to view two royal wills.

Robert Brown, 51, an accountant from Jersey, believes that as the child of Queen Elizabeth's late sister, he is 12th in line to the throne. He appeared with Farrer & Co, the Queen's solicitors, at the High Court in London before Judge Philip Waller, the senior district judge of the Principal Registry of the Family Division, for a private hearing to decide how the case should proceed.

After the hearing, Mr Brown said he could not reveal details of the discussion in court, but added: "I can categorically state it has not been dismissed by the judge and is still ongoing."

Mr Brown put his case before the court in person. Before the hearing, he said he was "not here to embarrass anybody", adding: "This is about a child's rights and the right to identity. Not knowing has chewed at me for 15 years."

Buckingham Palace declined to comment yesterday.