Jordan Adlard-Rogers has inherited a multimillion-dollar estate from the father he never knew he had. Photo / Facebook
Jordan Adlard-Rogers has inherited a multimillion-dollar estate from the father he never knew he had. Photo / Facebook
A DNA test was all it took for a broke labourer to claim a multimillion-dollar inheritance from the father he never knew he had.
Jordan Adlard-Rogers recently moved into the historic Penrose Estate in Cornwall, England after the scientific test found he was the biological heir of troubled aristocrat Charles Rogers who died last August at age 62.
Penrose Estate sits on 6,215,971sq m and is said to be worth £50 million ($NZD97 million).
It has been in the family for many generations, and although it was given to heritage organisation the National Trust in 1974, the Rogers clan signed a 1000-year lease, which means they are able to remain on-site.
As part of the inheritance package, Mr Adlard-Rogers will also be paid £1000 ($NZD1950) a week.
The 31-year-old said he grew up suspecting Mr Rogers could be his father and had tried to prove it for several years.
He finally took the test after his father's death, and despite objections from some members of the extended Rogers family, he was ultimately named as the rightful heir.
The father of one has celebrated by splashing out on a Mercedes C63 as well as installing an outdoor gym in his new pad.
He also quit his job and travelled to New York with his partner.
Tragic legacy
Charles Rogers was born into luxury, but his life took a sad turn as he developed a drug addiction that would claim his life.
His body was found in his car last August, with an inquest confirming "methadone toxicity" was the cause of death.
For decades he had lived as a recluse, isolating himself from friends and family and turning his back on the estate he officially inherited in 2012 after the death of his father, Lieutenant Commander John Peverell Rogers, living in his car instead.
The estate's long-term manager, Phillip Care, told the inquest Mr Rogers was malnourished and had been neglecting his personal hygiene at the time of his death.
The manor house at Penrose estate in Cornwall. Photo / Alamy
"Charles had become incapable of doing anything that was at all stressful. He wouldn't pay his bills, and although we were there to help him manage his affairs, he just ignored anything," Cornwall Live reported Mr Care as saying.
"He had a free spirit lifestyle. He went and roamed a little bit … He wouldn't help himself.
"He actually lasted a lot longer than I thought he was going to."
Mr Rogers' mother died within two weeks of her troubled son, while his brother Nigel had died from cancer years earlier, meaning his illegitimate son was his only next of kin.
New beginning
Jordan Adlard-Rogers told UK media he was coming forward with his rags-to-riches tale to clear up misconceptions about his father's sad end.
He told said Mr Rogers had struggled with addiction as a result of trauma after serving in the army in Northern Ireland, as well as his brother's death and his family's expectations.
And he said despite his change of fortunes, he was determined to stay humble — and help others.
"I'm starting to get my feet under the table … I'm not going to forget where I've come from," he said, according to The Sun.
"I've been at the point of worrying about the next bill and have had a tough start in life.
"I don't need to work anymore, so I want to set up a charity and help the community. Now I'm here, I want to help people."
He said he would "trade anything" to be able to go back in time and forge a relationship with his father.
"Maybe then he might have taken a different path," he said.
Mr Adlard-Rogers' story comes just weeks after UK siblings Nick and Katherine Christou made headlines after inheriting around $A140,000 each from their maternal grandfather Jim Ross despite never meeting him.
Mr Ross had the money in his account following a lottery win, and the Christous discovered their good fortune after being contacted by an heir-hunting company called Finders International, which had been tasked with tracking down Mr Ross's next of kin.
