A former socialite, once known as Anna, Lady Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, has lost a £427,000 claim against her ex-boyfriend, Stephen Constable-Maxwell, after a judge dismissed her lawsuit in full. The case, heard at Southampton County Court, involved a dispute over money she alleged she spent on him during their four-year relationship.
Judge Glen ordered the claimant to pay 80 percent of Mr. Constable-Maxwell's legal costs, amounting to £75,000 to be paid on account by next Friday. The court order was made on August 14, following a four-day trial.
Ms. Calthorpe, 51, who is now known as plain Ms. Calthorpe and has four children, had sought repayment for various expenses including £160,177.96 for rent at her farmhouse, £57,753 for luxury holidays to locations such as Cuba and Corsica, cosmetic dental work, shooting lessons, and kite-surfing gear. She claimed that a loan agreement signed in December 2016, initially capped at £50,000 with 5 percent annual interest, had been varied to cover all her expenditures on Mr. Constable-Maxwell over the following four years. She cited WhatsApp messages as evidence of his acknowledgment of the debt.
Ms. Calthorpe and Mr. Constable-Maxwell, a 62-year-old ex-City financier, were in a relationship from 2016 until their breakup in August 2020. They had lived together at her farmhouse in Hartley Wintney from November 2016. Ms. Calthorpe's marriage to Sir Euan Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, the 3rd Baronet, had ended prior to her relationship with Mr. Constable-Maxwell, whom she married in 2002.
Mr. Constable-Maxwell denied owing any money, asserting that the only binding agreement was the initial £50,000 loan, which he claimed to have fully repaid by giving Ms. Calthorpe £76,000 in 2019. He had also filed a counterclaim alleging that Ms. Calthorpe had assaulted him, including pulling a knife, punching him repeatedly, breaking his nose twice, and causing an injury to his testicles. His counterclaim also sought damages for farm work she allegedly benefited from and for counselling.
Judge Glen dismissed Mr. Constable-Maxwell’s counterclaim entirely. Neither party was awarded any money from the other. Ms. Calthorpe's initial demand for repayment was made in March 2021.
