A Rada-trained budding actor who says he is now 'homeless' after being cut out of his mother's will is locked in a £1.2million inheritance fight with his sister.
Milda Rajhpaul died aged 88 in 2024, leaving an estate which actor son Robert Rajhpaul says could be worth up to £1.2million – including the £900,000 family home in Hammersmith, west London.
The actor's sister Precious Rajhpaul had lived with their mother in her latter years and was left her entire fortune under her last will, made the year before she died.
Younger brother Mr Rajhpaul has now claimed in court that she 'forced' their mother to change her will and even arranged for her to be cremated despite their mother's desire to have a 'Christian burial'.
At the centre of the court dispute between the two siblings is Milda's last will of August 2023, which disinherited Mr Rajhpaul and left everything to his sister – also appointing her sole executor.
Mr Rajhpaul was inspired to become an actor after one of the stars of the Carry On movies Hattie Jacques came to watch his school nativity play, in which he featured as one of the three wise men.
He has since trained at Rada and at the Actors Studio at Pinewood, also gaining qualifications in on-screen combat, weapons and horse riding.
With his dog Twinkle in tow, he last week went to court, claiming his sister wrongfully pressured their elderly mother to rip up an earlier will from 1993 which split her fortune equally two ways.
Robert Rajhpaul has included this picture among his Instagram posts, with an accompanying caption describing his training in 'masterclass actor intensive screen combat'
Mr Rajhpaul says he is now 'homeless' after being cut out of his mother's will is locked in a £1.2million inheritance fight with his sister
A £900,000 family home in Hammersmith, west London, is at the centre of the dispute
He told Judge Nigel Gerald at Central London County Court that he is currently so hard-up that he and his pet are 'homeless and staying in temporary homeless accommodation'.
He claims his mother 'lacked capacity' to make the 2023 will, that she did not 'know and approve' her new will, and that it was 'procured through undue influence'.
But Ms Rajhpaul is defending the will and counter-suing for a ruling that it was valid, also rejecting claims that she pressurised her mother.
In court documents, her barrister Nicola Phillipson argued that Mr Rajhpaul's case has 'no prospect of success', saying he has no evidence to support his claims.
The court heard that, in addition to the £900,000 family home, the siblings' mother had left cash, although the pair dispute how much.
Ms Rajhpaul says there was only £16,530 in cash, whilst Robert told the judge that the figure was more like £315,000.
Representing himself in a pre-trial hearing last week, the actor accused his sister of 'starving' their 88-year-old mum in her final years and isolating her in order to sever contact with her wider family.
Mr Rajhpaul told the judge: 'Precious changed the locks on the door and didn't let any family member see my mother.
Mr Rajhpaul outside Central London County Court after a hearing in his inheritance dispute with sister Precious Rajhpaul
'Normally anyone could go and see her,' he said, adding that his sibling 'ripped out the phone line because she knew my mother was trying to transfer some of the property over to me'.
Ms Rajhpaul had also arranged for their mother to be cremated, claimed Mr Rajhpaul, in direct contradiction to Milda's wishes.
He said: 'My mother was cremated against her wishes - she had always wanted a Christian burial next door to my dad.'
On top of the will challenge, Mr Rajhpaul is also bringing a case for 'reasonable provision' from his mum's estate under the 1975 Inheritance Act, maintaining that he had been dependent upon her for financial support and stressing that he is currently 'homeless'.
But in court documents, his sister's barrister said Robert's case has 'no prospect of success', also highlighting an alleged scarcity of evidence supporting his claims.
She said: 'He has not provided any medical evidence or any detailed particulars to support his allegations.'
After a short hearing, Judge Gerald adjourned the case in order for Mr Rajhpaul to secure lawyers to present his case.
The judge told him: 'You need to get legal help, because this is a very specific area of the law.
'You need to set out the basis on which you're saying that this will should be set aside.
'You accept the will was properly executed, but you say that your mother didn't have testamentary capacity and that she didn't know and approve the contents of the will.
'You're also saying that there was undue influence - that she was forced into making a will which she would not otherwise have done?'
Mr Rajhpaul replied: 'Absolutely.'
The case will return to court at a later date when the judge will decide whether or not the will challenge can proceed to a full trial.
The judge said: 'If I don't think there's a case I will strike it out.
'The allegations you're making are very serious and it's very expensive to get all this sorted out.'
