An interim court order has been issued barring a 30-year-old woman from contacting Viscount Gage, 91, his wife Alexandra and several others after the couple were reportedly targeted by persistent unwanted attention for about a year.
The order, granted this week, prohibits Danielle Millis from making any form of contact "in person, calls, letters, emails, messages, social media" with the viscount, his wife, their heir Henry Gage, 50, and named friends and associates. It also forbids Millis from making "vexatious complaints, allegations, publications or threats" and from approaching staff employed anywhere on the Gage estate.
Firle Place, the Gage family seat in East Sussex, was identified in court papers and is noted as part of the context for the order. The estate, which the family has held for centuries, includes extensive grounds and properties and has served as a location for film adaptations, including the 2020 production of Jane Austen's Emma.
The viscount and his wife declined to comment. A friend of the family described the past year as "a very difficult time" and expressed the hope that the interim order will provide the protection the family needs. The order also names the viscount's elder son, Henry, who is the eldest of two sons from his first marriage to Lady Diana Beatty, and two friends, television producer Camilla Campbell and her husband Julian Kingsland.
Court documents describe the measure as interim; it restrains the named individual from contact while further legal proceedings continue. No criminal charges were disclosed in the documents made available to reporters.
Nicholas "Nicky" Gage, who holds the title Viscount Gage, has been a public figure through his stewardship of Firle Place and his art collection, which has been reported to include works by old masters. He married Alexandra Murray Templeton about 16 years ago; the couple have a teenage son. The difference in the couple's ages has attracted media attention in the past, as has the estate's historical significance and public profile.
Friends and neighbours of large historic estates have increasingly said they rely on legal protections and local policing to address harassment and trespass. Interim injunctions and protective orders are a common step when claimants seek immediate restrictions while cases proceed through family or civil courts.
The issuing of the injunction follows growing public discussion about the vulnerability of high-profile private residences and their occupants to sustained unwanted approaches. The court order duplicates language commonly used in civil restraining measures by barring direct and indirect contact and placing restrictions on publication or dissemination of allegations.
Further hearings are expected to determine whether the interim measures will be extended or made permanent. The viscount and his wife have not indicated whether they will seek additional protections or pursue criminal proceedings, and court listings show the matter remains active.
The case highlights ongoing legal avenues available to private individuals, including members of the aristocracy, confronting persistent harassment. It also underscores a cautious approach by courts that balance immediate protective needs with the procedural steps required to reach a final determination.