Robert Maxwell has been dead since 1992. It’s about time his family sold off his old crap. From The Independent’s Terri Judd.
The Second World War uniform hung forlornly in the middle of the ferreting bargain-hunters, sporting a fake “sold” sign. It bore testimony to the fact that even if you are one of the most loathed men in recent history, somebody still wants to praise you after you are buried.
Fourteen years after Robert Maxwell fell to his death off the side of his yacht in mysterious circumstances, the spirit of the disgraced publishing baron was evident at a giant garage sale yesterday in the shape of the uniform that the late tycoon wore as a captain in the North Staffordshire Regiment.
In a final financial ignominy, Kevin Maxwell, younger son of the former Mirror Group owner, was being forced to peddle his possessions as he and his family prepare to leave their Elizabethan mansion. But the uniform was one item that was not up for grabs. Kevin’s wife, Pandora, 47, confided: “We haven’t really sold it. My husband just put the sticker on to stop anyone buying it because he changed his mind about selling it. It is just too sentimental to sell.”
Kevin Maxwell looked uncomfortable as he stood behind a table in the marquee while his wife took the money. Describing the goods on show as “an accumulation of things people dump on you when you have a large house”, the 46-year-old self-employed property consultant added: “This is a good way of getting rid of as much as possible. Moving is always stressful and I will be happy when it is over.”