Alexander McQueen leaves bulk of estate to charity

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 28 Jul 2011

Fashion designer Alexander McQueen has left legacies to five different charities in his will, bequeathing the majority of his £16m estate to good causes.

While much will be made of the £50,000 the cult icon left to his pet dogs, McQueen’s love of animals also benefited two animal charities; both the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and the Blue Cross Sick Animal Centre both received £100,000. The London Buddhist Centre and Terrence Higgins Trust also received £100,000 from the fashion designer.

The bulk of his estate, however, has been left to his own charity, Sarabande which has as its stated mission to “assist and support people in need”.

McQueen identified set amounts of money to be left to his relatives, godson and housekeepers, but this will not make up the majority of his estate. His five siblings are each due to receive £250,000 and others stand to receive £50,000.

Thus, the remainder of his estate, to go to Sarabande, will likely exceed £10m. The charity, set up by McQueen himself in 2009, had an income of just £10,000 in the year ending 31 March 2010.

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, a charity reliant on legacies, said McQueen had adopted a dog from the charity in 1995 and had been a “great supporter” of the organisation during his lifetime.

Spencer Wisdom, solicitor and legacy manager at Battersea, said: “News of such a generous legacy is a lovely surprise and reaffirms the love McQueen held for dogs and cats. We know he would be so proud to see his donation helping care for the thousands of dogs and cats at Battersea in need of a new home.”

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