Battle royale over estate left to driver

The family of an Indian princess is planning court action after she changed her will two days before she died to leave most of her estate to her driver.

Princess Rajeshwari of Bilaspur in Haryana, north India, was 66 when she died earlier this month, apparently of a heart attack.

In her will, she left a major portion of her moveable assets - including precious gems, art pieces, antiques and rare Persian carpets - to Babloo Gupta, who had been her driver for the last 11 years.

The princess' family has accused Mr Gupta of poisoning Rajeshwari and persuading her to leaving her fortune to him by drugging her on the night she changed her will. 'It is unthinkable that she could have left almost everything to her driver without having been under [his] influence in some way. The whole thing is crazy,' said her brother, Kanwar Kriti Chandra.

He said the police had been informed and made it clear he would contest the will in the courts.

Mr Gupta has denied the family's claims. 'In fact, she told me her sister-in-law was trying to poison her,' he said.