An inheritance battle ensued between his two wives after James Dinsdale died intestate at the age of just 55 in October 2020, after battling cancer. He was a wealthy accountant who left behind a fortune worth a whopping £1.8million. Following his passing, his widow, Margaret Dinsdale, a beautician by profession, began sorting his affairs. She thought she would inherit everything in his estate as his next of kin.
However, little did she know, she had another competitor, James’s first wife, Victoria Fowell. The chaos unfolded when Dinsdale discovered that the late accountant had never divorced his first bride before they tied the knot in 2017 in Las Vegas. This made their marriage a “void,” and therefore, she is in no position to automatically inherit his fortune.
James married Fowell, now 53, a cosmetic dentist by profession, just five years earlier. Ironically, their wedding also took place in Las Vegas, at a chapel, only 600 meters away from where he tied the knot to his second wife. However, as he failed to secure a divorce from Fowell and died intestate, she is now the heir of his fortune, along with their son, William Dinsdale, 28.
Margaret has since launched a claim to receive a share of her late husband’s wealth, citing she should be treated as a “spouse.” She additionally stated that she wed him in “good faith,” which should make her an heir as well. The two women have taken the matter to the High Court, leading to a chaotic inheritance battle, as reported by The Independent.
The case was presented to High Court judge Master James Brightwell. In the brief preliminary hearing, it was laid out that Dinsdale, who was also a World War II history expert, built a fortune with his booming property business in Central London. He married Dr. Fowell in 2012, and without getting a divorce first, he went on to wed Margaret in 2017.
Two women in £1.8m inheritance battle after both marrying the same man in Las Vegas https://t.co/Pb9zbEApqB pic.twitter.com/UQ5brLfnsU
— The Independent (@Independent) August 7, 2025
Jonathan Davey KC, who is presenting the beautician in this case, claimed that James and Margaret initially met in 2008 and began a friendship. In 2014, their “romantic relationship” began, but she had no idea that he was still married to his first wife.
“Margaret believed that she was validly married to James Dinsdale and there is no evidence that she knew that the deceased was married to Dr Fowell as at 2017,” KC said.
The barrister added, “She understood the marriage between the deceased and Dr Fowell to have ended some time prior to the relationship between the deceased and the claimant beginning. We have no idea what James’ state of mind was, perhaps he didn’t realise he wasn’t divorced. Margaret’s assertion is that she believed the deceased to be unmarried and already divorced when she married him in good faith.”
The attorney additionally claimed that while James was battling with cancer, Margaret was his “primary carer,” looking after him, 24 hours a day.” He also pointed out, “She and James had a relatively lavish lifestyle, which was funded by his wealth, and she was entirely financially dependent on the deceased. Dr Fowell and William Dinsdale were not being financially maintained by the deceased at the time of his death.”
Judge Brightwell has allocated £50,000 cash to Margaret, who has been trapped in James’s wealth, to cover her bills and legal expenses. He will also hold another hearing focusing on how the fortune should be divided between the late accountant’s two wives and his son from the first marriage.
