The wife and daughter of explorer Paul Blelock Samuel are locked in a High Court fight over the administration of his £10 million fortune, eight years after he was killed in an avalanche in Peru.
Ana Lesiak Samuel, 59, is resisting an attempt to remove her as executor of her late husband’s will and co-trustee of the trust holding much of his estate. His daughter, Kate Samuel, 25, is supporting the application.
Mr Samuel, a mountaineer, author, businessman and entrepreneur, died aged 55 while climbing Alpamayo in the Peruvian Andes in June 2018. A Slovenian climber and a Peruvian guide also died after the group was caught in an ice avalanche.
His will provided for his partner and daughter, from a previous relationship, to receive roughly equal shares of a fortune valued at about £10 million.
The London hearing was told that the estate included Bank Farm, near Whitchurch, Shropshire, valued at £780,000. Kate has already received £1 million, while Ana has been given the farm and another property.
However, disagreements over the value and division of the assets have led to years of delay. The dispute previously came before the High Court in 2023, when Ana failed in an attempt to remove lawyer Anna Unett and Mr Samuel’s father, Peter, as trustees. Peter later died.
Judge Master Francesca Kaye was told that the will created two trusts, with Ana and Kate as equal beneficiaries. Kate’s barrister, Julie Case, said the arrangement had been intended to create a “clean break between them” because of their difficult relationship.
Ms Case alleged that Ana had delayed and frustrated the administration of the estate since a court hearing in April 2023.
“Kate believes that Ana is unsuitable to act as an executor. The relationship between Ana and Kate has been strained for some time,” she said.
Ms Case added: “Ana has caused difficulties and delays since the April 2023 hearing. She appears to be unable – whether it is deliberate or not – to deal with anything in a straightforward and transparent manner.”
She said Kate’s position was that the estate would have been completed earlier “but for Ana’s conduct”, adding that the daughter wanted the administration concluded “as quickly as possible and with minimal cost to the estate”.
Dispute over control of the estate
Alexander Learmonth KC, representing Ana, denied that she was responsible for the delays and said she remained the right person to complete the work because that was what her husband wanted.
“Ana resists her removal as executor: there is simply no proper ground for doing so,” he told the judge, describing the proposed removal as a “drastic step”.
The barrister said Ana had experienced poor mental health following her bereavement in 2024 but that it had “fully resolved”. He also said she had driven the publication of Mr Samuel’s book, Find Your Own Mountains, and had raised money for a school in Nepal in his memory.
Mr Learmonth blamed Ms Unett for the delay, claiming Ana had been denied access to important estate documents.
“Mrs Unett says that the estate administration is almost complete. If so, then Ana, as the appointed and properly constituted executor, should simply be allowed to complete it,” he said.
Representing Ms Unett, barrister Mark Baxter said the estate’s administration and distribution had instead been “delayed and complicated by Ana’s conduct”.
“Generally, Ana’s approach to all matters related to the estate is uncooperative, if not combative,” he said.
“The only person with any interest in the matter who wishes Ana to remain in office is Ana herself.”
Mr Samuel’s adventures included sailing in the South China Sea, trekking through the Borneo jungle and climbing Mount Everest and other major peaks. He later wrote 18 letters about his experiences for Kate’s 18th birthday, which were published as a book in the months after his death.
The family dispute was adjourned after a half-day hearing and is due to return to court at a later date.
