Python star’s children fight widow over estate
TERRY Jones’s widow is facing a family court battle over his fortune with two of the Monty Python star’s children.
The son and daughter from his first marriage have filed a claim in an apparent bid to obtain a bigger share of his estate.
Jones, who died in January last year aged 77, married his second wife, Anna Soderstrom, soon after his divorce in 2012. The couple had a child together, Siri, now 12.
Papers lodged at the High Court reveal a probate battle between Miss Soderstrom and Bill Jones, 45, and Sally Jones, 47, who have reportedly made claims under the 1975 Inheritance Act, which allows family members to claim for ‘reasonable provision’ from an estate. Knitwear designer Miss Soderstrom, 38, is listed as the primary defendant in the case and is thought to be the main beneficiary.
Jones was known to be in some financial difficulty in his later years following his split from first wife Alison Telfer.
Funds appear to have been freed up after his death from dementia, with his north London home sold for £2.8million – a gain of £1.35million on the 2005 purchase price.
Lawyers representing Miss Soderstrom, as well as Bill and Sally Jones, have declined to comment.