London - The High Court yesterday cleared the way for Countess Spencer, sister-in-law of the late Princess of Wales, to sue for £1.6 million sterling the solicitors who handled her affairs before her bitter divorce from Earl Spencer.
Mr Justice Douglas Brown refused an application by the Family Law Consortium to strike out a claim against it by the countess for alleged negligence. At the end of an hour-long judgment he said: "I am left wholly unpersuaded that the plaintiff's case is manifestly unsustainable."
Countess Spencer listened intently throughout the judgment, wiping away a tear and smiling as the decision in her favour was announced. After the hearing her solicitors said she would be returning to her children in South Africa.
