A High Court judge has ruled in favor of a retired accountant who challenged a property company linked to the King’s godson in a long-running dispute over residential service charges. The ruling marks a significant development in a decade-long legal battle involving Grosvenor Developments, a company owned by the trustees of the Duke of Westminster.

Peter Parsons, 75, and his wife, Anne von Rabenau, were at the center of the case, which concerned a residential development in Cambridge known as Parkside Place. Grosvenor acquired the property in 2010 before selling it in 2016. The couple and other residents alleged that Grosvenor had unlawfully altered their leases, resulting in them being charged excessive service fees. Specifically, they argued they were being asked to cover the service charges of social housing tenants—costs that the company had agreed to absorb as part of negotiations to secure planning approval from Cambridge city council.

The dispute initially saw the couple winning a ruling in their favor in the county court last year. Judge Karen Walden-Smith determined that Parsons and von Rabenau were entitled to reclaim service charge payments from Grosvenor. The company subsequently appealed but was unsuccessful in the High Court, where Mr Justice Johnson upheld the original decision, describing it as the “correct” outcome.

Parsons and his wife represented themselves throughout the legal proceedings, with Parsons describing the victory as a “David and Goliath” moment. He said the case had always been about principle and expressed relief at the court’s endorsement despite the substantial resources Grosvenor was able to deploy. Parsons also noted that when the company was granted permission to appeal, the court ordered each party to bear its own legal costs.

Grosvenor Developments is chaired by Hugh Grosvenor, the 35-year-old Duke of Westminster, whose estimated net worth is £9.68 billion, placing him 18th on the most recent Sunday Times Rich List. The Duke is one of the King’s 33 godchildren and reportedly counts the King’s sons among his friends. However, the Duke does not hold ownership of Parkside Place, nor does he have involvement in the daily management of the property or its service charges.

A spokesperson for Grosvenor acknowledged the High Court’s decision but maintained the company’s position that it had not engaged in wrongdoing throughout the dispute. The ruling underlines the legal complexities surrounding service charge allocations in mixed-use developments and highlights tenant rights in leasehold agreements.