Behind the glossy covers of the Tatler magazines, an unseemly scrap has been going on for years. The players are an 86-year-old descendant of William the Conqueror, an Indian-Hong Kong businessman and publishing giant Conde Nast. At stake are the Tatler title, the spyglass figure and a crumbling stately home.
FROM the tweed trilby sitting regally on his head, to the bespoke Savile Row suit and the brown suede Oxford brogues, publisher Guy Wayte is the quintessential English squire. Further accoutrements include an ageing Rolls-Royce and a listed 18th-century house in the country.
In his case, however, the clothes don't necessarily maketh the man. For 86-year-old Mr Wayte, who founded the Hong Kong Tatler and for many years owned the UK edition, is what is known in old-fashioned circles as a lovable rogue. Even his adversaries, of which there are no shortage, admit to being charmed by his distinguished manner and English eccentricities. But he is not viewed so favourably by everyone who comes into contact with him: one British judge called him an 'unscrupulous humbug'.
He describes himself as every con man's dream - fortunes have been lost, he claims, as quickly as they have been made because he is a gullible fool, easily parted from his money. He is big on conspiracy theories.
Mr Wayte, who claims to be a direct descendant of William the Conqueror, is a sharp and irritating thorn in the side of publishing giant Conde Nast. For nearly a decade, British Tatler's present owner has pursued Mr Wayte through the courts, gaining victory in Britain and now seeking more of the same in Hong Kong - at astronomical expense.
The current fight began over Mr Wayte's allegedly unauthorised use of the Georgian spyglass figure, the mark claimed by Tatler Publishing Company (TPC, which is owned by Conde Nast) that stands in the left-hand corner of the Hong Kong, Malaysian, Thai andSingapore editions. Each of the Southeast Asian magazines is published by Illustrated Magazine Publishing Company (IMPC), set up by Mr Wayte in 1977 and claims to have granted a licence to publish the magazines.
This has been done almost continuously by Indian-Hong Kong businessman Mahabir Mohindar who, in a recent out-of-court settlement, agreed to pay ?69,000 a year ($800,000) for the privilege. Curiously, the 51-year-old refers to himself as 'Doctor' Mohindar,a PhD which is listed in Who's Who as coming from the University of Buckingham. In fact, the Sunday Morning Post Magazine has documents which show that it is an honorary degree from the Buckingham Management Centre.