abbey

DOWNTON Abbey and Harry Potter star Dame Maggie Smith left a £16million fortune to her two actor sons, probate records published nearly two years after her death reveal.

The double Oscar winner, who died at a London hospital in September 2024 at the age of 89, left a net estate valued at £15,977,325.

Her will divides the bulk of that fortune equally between her sons Christopher Stephens, who works under the stage name Chris Larkin, and Toby Stephens.

She also left her West Sussex farmhouse, Douglas Lake Farm at Fittleworth, to a family trust she had set up with the two brothers in 2019.

The five-bedroom house, where she raised her sons and lived for more than 40 years, sits on a secluded plot with barns, a stable and a vineyard.

Born Margaret Natalie Smith in Ilford, Essex, in 1934, she was brought up in Oxford and made her stage debut at the Oxford Playhouse aged 17.

JUST WED

Inside Emily Atack’s ‘beautifully chaotic’ family wedding held in her GARDEN

shock claims

ITV star slams ‘toxic’ husband who called her family ‘scum’ amid divorce

She won her first Oscar in 1970 for playing the teacher in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and a second in 1979 for California Suite.

She was made a Dame in 1990 and her other films included A Room with a View, Sister Act, Gosford Park and The Lady in the Van.

A generation of children knew her as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, a role she played across a decade from 2001 to 2011.

Her role as the acid-tongued Violet Crawley in six series of ITV’s Downton Abbey from 2010 won her three Emmy awards and a fresh television audience around the world.

In all she won two Oscars, seven Baftas, four Emmys, three Golden Globes and a Tony award, and was appointed a Companion of Honour by the late Queen in 2014.

King Charles and Queen Camilla also paid tribute, saying: “As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances, and her warmth and wit that shone through both off and on the stage.”

Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe, said: “I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her, and to spend time around her on set. The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.”

Hugh Bonneville, who played her son in Downton Abbey, said: “Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent.

“She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances.”

Her sons announced her death in a statement issued through her publicist, in which they thanked hospital staff for their care during her final days.

They said: “An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end.

“She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

She married the actor Robert Stephens in 1967, the father of her two sons, and after their divorce married the playwright Beverley Cross in the mid-1970s.

Mr Cross wrote the musical Half a Sixpence and the screenplays for the fantasy adventure films Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans.

Her will directs that any copyright, royalties and unpublished works she inherited from him after his death in 1998 should be shared out separately.

The proceeds are split equally between his daughter Philippa Maughan, his son Shaun Cross and her own two sons.

She signed the will in September 1996, when Mr Cross was still alive and named as her main beneficiary, but he died 18 months later.

The full value of everything she owned came to £16,003,613, with debts and expenses of just over £26,000 taken off to reach the final figure.

Speaking in a magazine interview in 2019, she was dismissive of the two roles that had made her famous to a new generation of viewers.

She said: “It wasn’t what you’d call satisfying. I didn’t really feel I was acting.”

She added that she was grateful for both jobs, which between them introduced her to millions of filmgoers who had never seen her on stage.

Dame Maggie once summed her life up by saying: “One went to school, one wanted to act, one started to act and one’s still acting.”

ABBEY Clancy and her husband Peter Crouch got boozy during a wine tasting and it was all caught on camera.

The TV personality admitted she was “trollied” and “absolutely p***ed” as she made a dirty joke.

The famous couple filmed a special episode of their The Therapy Crouch podcast and were joined by Abbey’s friend Liberty who instructed them on all things wine.

But as they were learning more about wine, Abbey admitted to feeling “trollied,” when Liberty informed her she was meant to spit out the wine they were tasting to prevent from getting drunk.

“This wine tasting has taken a turn,” Peter joked.

Then Liberty tried to educated them with a special trick on how to discern if a wine was good quality or not.

‘SO UPSET’

Abbey Clancy went through hubby Peter’s phone & felt ‘ill’ at what she found

AIRPORT CHAOS

Abbey Clancy’s daughter ‘nearly ARRESTED’ after ‘gun’ joke with US security

She explained how the indent at the bottom of the bottle indicated quality, and the deeper the curve, the better the wine.

“The deeper the dip in the wine the more expensive,” Liberty explained and then tasked Abbey with feeling the indent of the bottle she was holding. 

Abbey then threw in her dirty quip: “Well the deeper the dip… so are you meant to thumb it in…?”

The joke left Peter and Abbey in hysterics and Liberty struggled to get them back on track to finish the wine tasting.

The couple’s popular podcast has become a place for them to share many secrets of their marriage, including when Abbey went through Peter’s phone.

She admitted earlier this month that she had sneaky peek at the ex-footballer’s messages behind his back, but didn’t like what she saw.

“I went through your phone,” to which an unimpressed Peter replied: “Which you shouldn’t do.”

Abbey tried to justify it, saying: “Everyone does that, every girl does that.”

Abbey went on: “But I find out things from you by doing that

“I found out you had this crush on Jet from the Gladiators, which I didn’t speak to him [Peter] for two days after and he was like ‘Abbey, she’s like 60’ and I was like ‘I don’t care, it made me physically ill’, I was so upset.”

Peter said: “But I’m allowed to fancy someone from 25 years ago…”

Abbey interjected: “I know, but still knowing my husband fancies someone else.”

Jet, real name Diane Youdale, was a main cast member on the original UK television series Gladiators from 1992 until 1996.

IT looks like The Beatles are getting back to where they once belonged — at the famous Abbey Road zebra crossing.

The cast of the upcoming Fab Four biopics recreated the iconic cover image of the 1969 Abbey Road album.

Harris Dickinson led the way as John Lennon, followed by Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.

Paul Mescal was bare-footed Paul McCartney and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.

Period vehicles were also seen on the street near the North London recording studios.

It is the first time Barry has been seen since reportedly throwing a strop while filming in Kent.

THRONG & WHINING ROAD

Savile Row tailors in clash with Beatles over plans for new museum

at the top

Oasis overtake The Beatles as they land best selling UK studio album of all time

The four Beatles biopics are due out in April 2028.

The friction between Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in 1970 will be brought to life in the upcoming Beatles biopic.

But we reported in June how there was tension among the two actors playing the pop legends, too.

A source said: “Barry has been rubbing people up the wrong way.

“His timekeeping is not always up to scratch and he often references that he is a parent — despite not living with his son.

“He also brings his brother Eric on set as his assistant, which doesn’t always bring out the best in his character.

“Barry is professional and can bring out the best in any script.

“But he can test the boundaries off-camera.”

Paul and Ringo, the last surviving members of the band, clashed in 1970, shortly before the group split in April that year.

ITV fans are in for a treat as a new five-part thriller with a stellar cast is set to air very soon

ITV have shared a dramatic first look at what fans can expect to see in its upcoming series.

The Party is a five-part thriller following the lifelong friendship between journalist Martin Glimour (Luke Evans) and wealthy politician Ben Fitzmaurice, played by Downton Abbey’s Tom Cullen.

When Martin, who’s been raised by working-class mum Sylvia (Joanna Scanlan), gets a scholarship to an elite boarding school where he meets Ben, the pair forge an unbreakable bond.

As Martin is given a sense of belonging with Ben and his family, he remains loyal to them without question. That is until three decades later when things take a drastic turn.

A synopsis for the ITV show reads: “Martin is invited to Ben’s lavish birthday party at the Fitzmaurices’ country pile. The news of the Conservative leader’s resignation threatens to derail Ben’s Party, as he considers announcing his intention to stand.

“Martin fears the publicity that Ben’s bid would bring, dredging up the secrets of their past with tragic consequences. The drama moves between the shocking events of the Party and the police investigation that follows, with flashbacks to Martin and Ben’s lives at school, university and London party days.

“What unfolds is a gripping exploration of identity, privilege and devotion, combined with a tender ode to anyone who has fought to live authentically.”

Now, ITV have shared some images from the upcoming drama as one shows Martin looking with a concerned look on his face while the shirt he’s wearing is covered in blood.

Another snap shows him in the same clothes, although this time, it seems as though he’s speaking to the police in a questioning room. It raises the question of whose blood that is and what crime has been committed.

Other images include Martin and Ben having an intense conversation with one another at a bar, Ben waving to the crowd on a platform with a woman and a snap of the two main stars in their younger years at school. It wasn’t long before people commented on the first glimpse at the upcoming series, with many sharing their excitement.

One person said: “Incredible! Two supremely talented actors.” Someone else wrote: “We are beyond excited!” Another added: “I loved the book. Luke is surely an amazing Martin.” While a fourth commented: “So excited about this!!”

The Party will air this autumn on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player.