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MALLOW, Ireland, Oct 6, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Patrick Jephson, a former secretary to Princess Diana who wrote two books about her, is in a row with an Irish town over land leased a century ago.
Jephson and his brother, Michael, who is head of catering at Buckingham Palace, have asked officials in Mallow, County Cork, Ireland, to make arrangements for the orderly handover of the property, The Independent reported. The 34-acre area known as Mallow Town Park was given to the town in 1907 by Katherine Jephson Norreys, owner of Mallow Castle, on a 99-year lease for the rent of one peppercorn.
Sean Sherlock, a member of the town council, said that the early 20th-century Jephsons "acted in good faith without profit motive" when the land was leased.
"It was done as a philanthropic gesture, but the Jephsons are not now acting in good faith. They are seeking to hold the townspeople to ransom and making a fast buck from the taxpayers of Mallow," he said.
Patrick Jephson is used to controversy. His first book about Diana brought condemnation from her two sons and he created a new storm last year when he described Prince Charles' wedding to Camilla Parker-Bowles as "a cockup."
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
