Daughter of Laura Ashley chairman says bitter £64m divorce was 'about control'

Angeline Francis Khoo
Angeline Francis Khoo Credit: Rosie On Fire

The daughter of the Laura Ashley chairman has revealed that her parents' bitter £64 million High Court divorce battle was "about control" rather than money.

Angeline Francis Khoo, 34, said she was no longer on speaking terms with her father, tycoon Dr Khoo Kay Peng, and had chosen to walk away from the family business, as well as any financial support, in order to marry a man of whom he did not approve.

Dr Khoo Pay Peng
Dr Khoo Pay Peng

She claimed she had no idea about the scale of her father's wealth until it was disclosed in court, when her mother, former Malaysian beauty queen Pauline Chai, 70, was eventually awarded one of the largest settlements in history.

Miss Khoo said: “In these situations with so much money often people are, like, ‘I don't get it. Why are they fighting over so much?’

“But it's not really about the money, it's about control and losing that control. That's something that a lot of people can't grasp because you're discussing finances way beyond your basic needs.”

Pauline Chai at home in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
Pauline Chai at home in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire Credit: Dwayne Senior / eyevine

Ms Chai, who was Miss Malaysia in 1969, had demanded half of her former husband's £205 million fortune. She insisted she had made an equal contribution by fulfilling her role as a "traditional" wife during 42 years of marriage.

Dr Khoo, 78, the non-executive chairman of Laura Ashley Holdings, had wanted to give her just £9 million following their split on Valentine's Day 2013.

The settlement, handed down in April this year, was described as a victory for “the homemaker”.

Miss Khoo told how she met her husband, Caribbean-born data scientist Jedidiah Francis, while studying at Oxford, but that when she told her father she wanted to marry him, he refused to give her his blessing.

“I believed Dad's stance was wrong, so there was no question about what was right,” she told the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine.

“I've been fortunate to have that perspective: you can have money and it's a blessing; it allows you to do things and gives you options, but there are also things that come with it, such as control.

Angeline Francis Khoo and her mother, Pauline Chai
Angeline Francis Khoo and her mother, Pauline Chai Credit: Rosie On Fire

“Money amplifies negative characteristics and that can cause problems. To walk away from that was actually very easy. I didn't even consider it.”

Until that point, Miss Khoo had been destined to work for the family business. She said the plan had been “drilled” into her since she was a teenager and she spent university holidays working in the different departments of Laura Ashley.

She revealed that her father had not played an integral part in her childhood and that she and her four siblings, two of whom have special needs, only saw him once or twice a year when he was not on business.

Angeline Francis Khoo
Angeline Francis Khoo Credit: Rosie On Fire

Miss Khoo, who was the only witness called in her parents’ divorce, said it was "not a nice situation" and claimed that her mother, whom it was revealed in court owned 1,000 pairs of shoes, was actually quite frugal, choosing to dye her own hair rather than go to the hairdressers.

The fashion designer has since established her own fashion business but says she hopes one day, that her father might “let go of his anger” so they could enjoy a cordial relationship.

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