The mystery of Lady Nina, Arsenal and her 'insignificant' first marriage
She is the elegant and enigmatic Indian woman who made nearly £123 million from selling her shares in Arsenal football club.
Nina Kakkar is, according to public records, the daughter of Kuldeep Chand Kakkar, a retired diplomat from Delhi
Her decision to sell up ended a long running takeover battle and handed control to an American businessman over his Uzbeki billionaire rival.
Now a Sunday Telegraph investigation can reveal for the first time how she was actually born Nina Kakkar, and was a hotel beauty therapist with a mysterious past until she transformed herself into a wealthy member of the aristocracy.
Lady Nina's multi-million pound stake in Arsenal was handed to her by her husband Sir Charles, heir to a dynasty founded by his grandfather, Tory MP Sir Bracewell Smith, Arsenal's post war chairman, who made his fortune as then owner of the Park Lane Hotel and the Ritz.
Sir Charles' second wife, she took over running her husband's business affairs shortly after their marriage in 1996.
During a brief period on the Arsenal board she was described as a "retired Indian diplomat's daughter from New Delhi" and her photograph, taken in a VIP box at the football ground, was published in the match day programme.
But while Lady Nina was a regular at Arsenal home games, board meetings and even on Twitter, her 55-year-old husband, who lists his interests as "comparative religion, mystical theology, philosophy, psychology, Arsenal FC, music, reading poetry" has all but vanished.
One family member last week said he had "opted out" and was disinterested in business or money and left the running of his affairs to his wife.
Nina Kakkar is, according to public records, the daughter of Kuldeep Chand Kakkar, a retired diplomat from Delhi. Most of the records suggest Nina was born in India in November 1955.
But Debretts, the genealogical guide to the British aristocracy, claims she is ten years younger and was born in Bonn, Germany.
She studied business at the DAV Institute of Management in Delhi, which, according to the colleges' internet site, is "empower souls across the world to effortlessly optimize potential by imbibing the best of values and beliefs of east and west".
The future Lady Nina came to Britain in the early 1990s, rented a "pokey" flat in Mayfair and began work at one of the nearby hotels.
Then in 1991 she married Mark Forsyth, a struggling computer programmer she hardly knew.
"I met her through a friend," Mr Forsyth said. "She was working as a beauty therapist, I can't remember what hotel it was, but she was working in a hotel."
Mr Forsyth is openly gay. On his Facebook page he describes himself as "married" to a fashion designer. The couple live in a £1.2 million town house in Islington.
"I haven't seen her for a long, long time," he said.
They were introduced through a friend and apparently on a whim decided to marry.
"It was a terrible, terrible mistake," he said.
"It was a drunken decision that was carried through and almost immediately regretted."
He denies that it was a marriage of convenience. In 1991 an Indian national would have needed a work permit to live and work in the UK. A German passport holder would not have needed a visa.
He added: "I would now identify myself as gay, then I wouldn't have done. I got the impression, I never met her family, her family were all in India, and I got the impression she was quite indulged.
"It wasn't that quick, but it was fairly quick."
The wedding took place on 20 August at Westminster Register Office and two hotel colleagues of Nina's witnessed the occasion which was followed by drinks in a pub and a curry.
The couple then went their separate ways for the evening. They neverlived as man and wife and formally divorced in 1995.
Last week he said he did not even have a picture of his former wife and he had had no idea that she had anything to do with the Arsenal buy out.
The end of the four year marriage came after Nina Kakkar had reverted to her maiden name and moved in with Sir Charles the previous October.
Sir Charles had sold his and Lady Carol's former marital home following her death on 11 July 1994, leaving around £1 million in her will, and he and Nina purchased a grand apartment in an Edwardian mansion block overlooking Regent Park.
It is unclear how and when the peer met the new woman in his life. He and his family owned the Park Lane Hotel and one business associate said: "I believe they met at the hotel. She was working there. She caught Sir Charles' eye".
By November 1995 Nina Kakkar, the former beautician, had become a director of Sir Charles' investment company Tymalls, taking over the share holding once controlled by the late Lady Carol.
Two months later she became a director the Park Lane Hotel and remained on the board while Sir Charles and other members of his family negotiated its multi-million sale to the Sheraton Hotel group.
One of those involved in thrashing out the deal, who asked not to be named, said: "I met them in the meetings they had to attend to complete that transaction. They were a rather unusual couple.
"I did not get to know them well. They were monied wealth and they were slightly eccentric. Apart from her being very elegant and very charming and very professional.
"He was slightly eccentric. He was very laid back, he was very sort of hippie like, relaxed. They were an odd couple."
The couple married in July 1996 in the same Register Office room where Nina had married Mark Forsyth.
This time the witnesses were her father and a member of Sir Charles' aristocratic family.
Sir Charles, the fourth baronet of Keighley, listed his profession as "peer of the realm" on the marriage certificate. Nina gave her profession as "company director".
Within a few years Sir Charles had all but given up attending meetings of his businesses and had signed all his share holdings over to his wife.
She became company secretary of his multi-million pound investment vehicle, Tymalls, in 1998, winding it up four years later with £5 million in its bank account, and taking control of all his shares in Arsenal by 2004.
Sir Charles' cousin Richard Carr, also had Arsenal shares, a role at the club, and was a director of Tymalls. He stood down the same year Lady Nina took over.
He was reluctant to talk about her or Sir Charles.
He said: "I'm really not inclined to talk to you. This is family. She's my family. I don't talk about members of my family outside of my family. She is married to my cousin and I really don't want to engage in any sort of talk that might effect that."
His half-sister Lady Sarah Phipps-Bagge was slightly more forthcoming.
She said: "It is not really for me to discuss. I cannot shed any light on it. To be honest, I have to say I hardly know her.
"I haven't seen my cousin in years. He's just opted out. Put it like that. He decided to opt out. He's left (everything else) with Nina. He's opted out. That's all he's done."
Last night Sir Charles and Lady Nina failed to return messages asking them to comment.
One family member last week said he had "opted out" and was disinterested in business or money and left the running of his affairs to his wife.
Nina Kakkar is, according to public records, the daughter of Kuldeep Chand Kakkar, a retired diplomat from Delhi. Most of the records suggest Nina was born in India in November 1955.
But Debretts, the genealogical guide to the British aristocracy, claims she is ten years younger and was born in Bonn, Germany.
She studied business at the DAV Institute of Management in Delhi, which, according to the colleges' internet site, is "empower souls across the world to effortlessly optimize potential by imbibing the best of values and beliefs of east and west".
The future Lady Nina came to Britain in the early 1990s, rented a "pokey" flat in Mayfair and began work at one of the nearby hotels.
Then in 1991 she married Mark Forsyth, a struggling computer programmer she hardly knew.
"I met her through a friend," Mr Forsyth said. "She was working as a beauty therapist, I can't remember what hotel it was, but she was working in a hotel."
Mr Forsyth is openly gay. On his Facebook page he describes himself as "married" to a fashion designer. The couple live in a £1.2 million town house in Islington.
"I haven't seen her for a long, long time," he said.
They were introduced through a friend and apparently on a whim decided to marry.
"It was a terrible, terrible mistake," he said.
"It was a drunken decision that was carried through and almost immediately regretted."
He denies that it was a marriage of convenience. In 1991 an Indian national would have needed a work permit to live and work in the UK. A German passport holder would not have needed a visa.
He added: "I would now identify myself as gay, then I wouldn't have done. I got the impression, I never met her family, her family were all in India, and I got the impression she was quite indulged.
"It wasn't that quick, but it was fairly quick."
The wedding took place on 20 August at Westminster Register Office and two hotel colleagues of Nina's witnessed the occasion which was followed by drinks in a pub and a curry.
The couple then went their separate ways for the evening. They neverlived as man and wife and formally divorced in 1995.
Last week he said he did not even have a picture of his former wife and he had had no idea that she had anything to do with the Arsenal buy out.
The end of the four year marriage came after Nina Kakkar had reverted to her maiden name and moved in with Sir Charles the previous October.
Sir Charles had sold his and Lady Carol's former marital home following her death on 11 July 1994, leaving around £1 million in her will, and he and Nina purchased a grand apartment in an Edwardian mansion block overlooking Regent Park.
It is unclear how and when the peer met the new woman in his life. He and his family owned the Park Lane Hotel and one business associate said: "I believe they met at the hotel. She was working there. She caught Sir Charles' eye".
By November 1995 Nina Kakkar, the former beautician, had become a director of Sir Charles' investment company Tymalls, taking over the share holding once controlled by the late Lady Carol.
Two months later she became a director the Park Lane Hotel and remained on the board while Sir Charles and other members of his family negotiated its multi-million sale to the Sheraton Hotel group.
One of those involved in thrashing out the deal, who asked not to be named, said: "I met them in the meetings they had to attend to complete that transaction. They were a rather unusual couple.
"I did not get to know them well. They were monied wealth and they were slightly eccentric. Apart from her being very elegant and very charming and very professional.
"He was slightly eccentric. He was very laid back, he was very sort of hippie like, relaxed. They were an odd couple."
The couple married in July 1996 in the same Register Office room where Nina had married Mark Forsyth.
This time the witnesses were her father and a member of Sir Charles' aristocratic family.
Sir Charles, the fourth baronet of Keighley, listed his profession as "peer of the realm" on the marriage certificate. Nina gave her profession as "company director".
Within a few years Sir Charles had all but given up attending meetings of his businesses and had signed all his share holdings over to his wife.
She became company secretary of his multi-million pound investment vehicle, Tymalls, in 1998, winding it up four years later with £5 million in its bank account, and taking control of all his shares in Arsenal by 2004.
Sir Charles' cousin Richard Carr, also had Arsenal shares, a role at the club, and was a director of Tymalls. He stood down the same year Lady Nina took over.
He was reluctant to talk about her or Sir Charles.
He said: "I'm really not inclined to talk to you. This is family. She's my family. I don't talk about members of my family outside of my family. She is married to my cousin and I really don't want to engage in any sort of talk that might effect that."
His half-sister Lady Sarah Phipps-Bagge was slightly more forthcoming.
She said: "It is not really for me to discuss. I cannot shed any light on it. To be honest, I have to say I hardly know her.
"I haven't seen my cousin in years. He's just opted out. Put it like that. He decided to opt out. He's left (everything else) with Nina. He's opted out. That's all he's done."
Last night Sir Charles and Lady Nina failed to return messages asking them to comment.
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