A lengthy legal feud between the widow of a German prince who was heir to the British and McDonalds after his death in a motorbike accident has ended in a settlement which forces the burger giants to compensate the former franchise holder with more than GBP 12 million.
Princess Carla of Hesse has been in charge of four McDonald’s restaurants in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, since her former husband Prince Otto of Hesse died in a motorcycle accident near Lake Constance in May 2020.
Shortly after his death, the American company’s German management attempted to revoke Carla’s franchise licence which would initially not have expired before 2034. The McDonald’s bosses argued that they signed a contract with Otto, but not with her.
Princess Carla filed a complaint.
As a reaction, McDonald’s Germany decision-makers reportedly increased the pressure by transferring all electronic payment incomes from customers’ bank card and credit card payments to an escrow account.
Now the lawyers of McDonald’s have agreed to compensate Carla with EUR 14.2 million (GBP 12. 3 million) if she hands over the keys to all four restaurants by the end of this year.
The legal dispute between the 49-year-old and the fast food market leaders at the High Regional Court of Munich came to an end on 20th December after judges appealed to the arguing parties to end their feud for the sake of Christmas.
Presiding judge Annette Neumair is quoted by local media as saying: “It’s Christmas, the time when wishes are being made. However, I would advise both parties to agree on a settlement.”
Neumair reportedly argued that there were so many factors suggesting that this would be the best option.
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Born Carla Blickhaeuser, the commoner married Prince Otto in Las Vegas in 1998. They divorced in 2007 but started co-managing the fast-food franchise eateries in 2016.
Carla has four children with the late member of the Hessen-Philippsthal-Barchfeld dynasty, a branch line of the House of Hesse.
At the decisive court hearing, she was accompanied by her daughter Elena, 23, and her 24-year-old son Maximilian.
Prince Otto of Hesse died in the fatal incident, which took place near Lake Constance on the A96 motorway near Lindau in the southern German state of Bavaria on Sunday 17th March.
The prince had only a short while earlier shared a picture of himself sitting with his arms crossed, posing for the camera, on the very Ducati motorbike that would claim his life a few days later.
The second son of William of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, the current head of the Hesse-Philippsthal family, Otto was the descendant of King Frederick William III of Prussia and of William V of Orange-Nassau. William V was a Prince of Orange and the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. He went into exile to London in 1795.
According to royal genealogist Daniel Willis, Prince Otto was 1,461st in line for the British throne.
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Story By: Thomas Hochwarter, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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