Tragic Guinness heir and son of Thatcher minister Sir Henry 'Chips' Channon has left £30million to his wife and four children after his death aged just 51
- Henry Channon left over £30million to his wife and four children in his will
- Henry's death at age 51 is another example of the 'Guinness curse'
- The Guinness wealth came from his grandfather, U.S.-born Sir Henry ‘Chips’ Channon
Former Conservative Cabinet minister’s son Henry Channon has left his wife and four children nearly £30million after he died last October at the age of 51.
Henry's death was the latest tragedy to befall his family and his older sister, Olivia Channon, died from a heroin overdose at Oxford University in 1986.
Channon, a member of the Guinness dynasty, left a fortune of more than £30 million in trust to his surviving family - which was down to £27.53million after debts were paid according to probate documents.
Henry Channon is pictured with his former wife Henrietta at a London party in 2004
Friends said Henry had battled with an illness for several months before his death.
His father, Paul Channon, was a Cabinet minister in governments led by Edward Heath and Margaret Thatcher before becoming Lord Kelvedon.
In his will, Henry asked to be buried alongside his parents and grandfather Sir Henry Channon, at Kelvedon Hall, near Brentwood, Essex.
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The Guinness wealth came from his grandfather, U.S.-born Sir Henry ‘Chips’ Channon, who had married Lady Honor Guinness and inherited her share of the family fortune.
He had two sons, from his marriage to first wife Henrietta, and two children from his second marriage to Katie.
He is also survived by his sister Georgia, 56. Channon’s privileged upbringing was overshadowed by the shock death of his sister Olivia when he was just 16.
The 22-year-old history student binged on alcohol and drugs at a party at Christ Church College and choked on her own vomit.
Former Thatcher Cabinet minister Lord Kelvedon, formerly Paul Channon (left), with his wife Ingrid Channon and children Henry Channon, Georgia Channon and Olivia Channon (right)
Mr Channon's oldest sister Olivia died from a drugs overdose at Oxford University in 1986 when he was only 16
The Guinness family have been struck by a series of tragedies, prompting claims of a family ‘curse’.
Guinness heir Tara Browne died in 1966 when his car ran through red lights in Kensington, smashing into a van.
Lady Henrietta Guinness jumped off a bridge in Umbria, Italy, in 1978. Four-year-old Peter Guinness died in a car crash in the same year.
In 2004, Robert Hesketh died in his sleep after taking drugs at a country house party and, in 2020, Guinness heiress Honor Uloth died in a freak swimming pool accident aged 19.
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