Fate of West Ham chair David Gold’s £130m estate revealed in will – and who will inherit huge stake in club
FORMER West Ham chairman David Gold’s enormous will has been revealed.
Probate has now been granted to his daughter Vanessa Young to administer the estate of the ex Hammers’ joint owner – which totalled more than £137million.
Mr Gold was initially thought to have died “intestate” in January 2023 with no instructions on how his fortune should be split.
But fresh documents now reveal a will was actually made in August 2021 outlining his final wishes.
The will includes details of how to deal with his family’s trust fund – and the right to sell his stake in West Ham United if “appropriate”.
It gave a gross value of his estate in the UK as £137,241,336 – with a net value of £127,529,095.
Daughter Vanessa was named as the executor and trustee.
And the will also stated those in charge of his estate could “sell all or any” of its assets they deem “appropriate” – including his 25.1 per cent stake in Premier League club West Ham.
In a document published last week, the grant of probate outlined: “The last will and testament of David Gold is proved and registered before the High Court of Justice.
“The Administration of David Gold’s estate is granted by this court to the following Executor – Vanessa Julia Young.”
Mr Gold’s other daughter Jacqueline Gold died in March 2023 after a seven year battle with breast cancer – leaving Vanessa as the sole administrator of his fortune.
In his will, Mr Gold wrote: “I appoint my daughters JACQUELINE GOLD (Jacqueline) VANESSA JULIA YOUNG (Vanessa) to be the executors and trustees of this Will.
“I give my trustees all my personal possessions with a request to distribute them according to the latest wishes I have expressed in any note left with my papers at my death.”
Beneficies of the trust listed on his will included his two daughters, his two son-in-laws, a granddaughter and his partner.
Mr Gold also left a series of legacies free of inheritance tax including £100,000 to his sister Marie Mould, £50,000 each to two named individuals, and £25,000 each to two others.
Some of the awards were conditional on the benefactors remaining as employees at the time of his death.
Mr Gold also outlined in his will that his trustees must hold his estate on trust.
He added: “They may sell all or any of the assets in my estate as they consider appropriate.”
Before the will was discovered, a letter of administration was granted by the High Court of Justice to Vanessa.
It added that the “Ad Colligenda Bona grant” is “limited for the purposes only of collecting in and receiving the estate and doing such acts as may be necessary to preserve and protect the shareholdings of the deceased in WH Holdings Ltd, GGIH Holdings lTD and Goddington Manor Management Ltd, to include for the avoidance of doubt the right to sell the said shares and to sell (his main home) and until further representation be granted.
“The application has stated the gross value of the estate in the United Kingdom amounts to £130M and the net value amounts to £125M.”