George Martin's daughter accuses him of hiding his £400million fortune so he can secretly give it to his favourite children

Alexis Stratfold, pictured at her home in Azille, France, is the daughter of Beatles producer George Martin from his first marriage 
CREDIT: GEOFF PUGH/THE TELEGRAPH


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'Fifth Beatle' George Martin's daughter accuses him of hiding his £400million fortune so he can secretly give it to his favourite children 
° Alexis Stratford claimed the £1million left in his will was 'a joke'
° She has been involved in a dispute with her half-siblings from his second marriage
° Sir George claimed throughout his life that he was not wealthy 
By ALEXANDER WARD FOR DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 22 October 2016

Sir George Martin, known as the ‘fifth Beatle’, has been accused by his eldest daughter of hiding his ‘vast wealth’ so he can pass it on to his ‘favoured’ children.
Alexis Stratfold, whose music producer father died in March, claimed that the £1million left in his will was ‘a joke’ and only a small portion of the fortune he had hidden in offshore accounts, estimated at up to £400million.
She became involved in a dispute with her half-siblings from Sir George’s second marriage when she was reportedly left just £68,000. She also accused her father of having a long-standing affair with a Hollywood screenwriter which he hid from his widow Judy until he died.


Sir George Martin, known as the ‘fifth Beatle’, has been accused by his eldest daughter Alexis Stratfold (pictured) of hiding his ‘vast wealth’ so he can pass it on to his ‘favoured’ children

Mrs Stratfold, 61, spoke out about the the feud with Lady Martin and her children Giles and Lucie in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.
She said she had done so because: ‘I don’t think they should be able to get away without the truth coming out... Why should the public not know my story; how I have been treated?’


George Martin with his daughter Alexis 
CREDIT: GEOFF PUGH/THE TELEGRAPH

Throughout his life Sir George claimed he was not wealthy, although his daughter told the Telegraph that ‘Dad was an incredibly wealthy man, he earned vast amounts in royalties over his lifetime’.
‘I believe he was hiding his wealth abroad. It’s a real conundrum. I believe my father has deliberately put the house in Judy’s name and gifted the rest of his money to Lucie and Giles. I mean, £1 million, it’s a joke.’
The row was not about money though, claimed Mrs Stratfold, but about how she had been made to feel like a ‘second-class’ family member from the point Sir George married his second wife Judy, 50 years ago.


Sir George Martin (pictured with his wife, Judy, has been accused by his eldest daughter of hiding his ‘vast wealth’ so he can pass it on to his ‘favoured’ children


Mrs Stratford became involved in a dispute with her half-siblings from Sir George’s second marriage when she was reportedly left just £68,000

It was only after a memorial service for her father that she received a copy of her father’s will, in which she was left a small part of Sir George’s estate to be shared with his chauffeur, secretary and three grandchildren.
Speaking from her home in Narbonne, in southern France, she told the newspaper: ‘The memorial service felt like the final insult, like another example of the way I have been pushed out by the other side of the family my entire life.
‘Lucie kept telling me it was all about Dad’s public life, that it would be taken care of. I made it clear that I wanted to be involved. They left my name off, and when I rang, they just kept offering excuses.’
Mrs Stratfold said she had attempted to solve the will row with her half-sister Lucie, but they failed to agree and are no longer in contact.


'The Fifth Beatle' died aged 90 in March (pictured here in 1960)


The Beatles stars Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon receive a silver disk from Mr Martin

She added that she would welcome an HMRC investigation into Sir George’s assets as her father had lived as a tax exile in California and the Channel Island during some of his most profitable years.
With royalties from over a billion record sales, including 30 Beatles hits, Mrs Stratfold was confused her father had left so little.
The Martin family were unavailable to comment last night.
However, Lucie Martin, Sir George’s youngest daughter, has previously stated that Mrs Stratfold’s claims were unfounded.
Sir George was one of the greatest producers in the history of popular music and is said to have shaped the sound of The Beatles.
Their collaborations have now sold more than one billion records worldwide.



George Martin and Alexis 
CREDIT: GEOFF PUGH/THE TELEGRAPH