‘Destitute’ princess who could be f ined millions for hiding the family fortune ... from her sister
HER glamorous life has filled glossy society magazines and she has even appeared in a TV documentary about the lavish world of Monaco’s megarich.
But Princess Camilla Crociani de Bourbon des Deux Siciles is also at the centre of a long-running and bitter family feud over her film star mother’s fortune.
And the princess could now be fined ‘millions’ for refusing to reveal where the riches have gone, a court heard.
The 49-year-old Monte Carlo socialite was warned she faces the penalty for refusing to reveal the location of her mother’s assets including a painting by Paul Gauguin valued at £50million.
At the heart of the decade-long dispute is a trust fund that was set up by their mother, Edoarda Crociani, to benefit both Camilla and her younger sister Cristiana, 47, when they were
‘Shared the same social ambitions’
teenagers. But after investments and art was taken from the fund and transferred into Mrs Crociani’s name, Cristiana suspected the bulk of the family wealth was being secretly redirected towards Camilla.
Mrs Cr o c i a n i had a ppeared in Italian movies under the name Edy Vessel during the 1950s and 1960.
She has described herself as being from a ‘destitute aristocratic family’, and secured her financial future with a marriage to Camillo Crociani, an Italian industrialist 20 years her senior.
Cristiana alleged her mother favoured her sister because they ‘ shared the same social ambitions and interests’.
In 2016, Cristiana obtained a world-wide freezing and disclosure order prohibiting Mrs Crociani from disposing of the assets up to a value of £147million.
The following year a court in the Channel Islands ordered Mrs Crociani to repay what had been taken from the trust fund, which was run from Jersey, and restore it to its financial position as of 2010.
Camilla was also ordered to disclose details of her mother’s wealth to BNP Jersey, a trustee of the fund, to help the bank rebuild the trust fund. But the bank and the court have not been satisfied with her response.
Camilla, who lives in Monte Carlo, appeared in the Royal Court – Jersey’s highest court – last week. William Redgrave, representing BNP, said an example of assets not submitted was high-value jewellery owned by her mother.
But Olaf Blakeley, representing Camilla, said she had provided the ‘vast majority’ of the documents requested and did not know the location of many of her mother’s assets.
However, court Commissioner Julian Clyde stuck by previous court rulings that Camilla had shown contempt of court by not obeying an order to disclose full details of her mother’s wealth in order to rebuild the trust fund. He said no information had been received about a family business and the valuable Gauguin artwork.
The painting is understood to be ‘Hina Maruru’, an 1893 work by the French artist depicting a feast to the Polynesian goddess Hina.
Mrs Crociani was obsessed with her daughters marrying into royalty, Cristiana also claimed at a previous hearing.
And in 1998, Camilla married Prince Carlo, head of the Italian House of Bourbon des Deux Siciles. She also appeared on BBC documentary Inside Monaco: Playground of the Rich earlier this year.
Camilla has been warned she could face a fine of ‘millions’. The court will deliver a written judgment at a later date.