Too late to claim estate after 14th century king: Norwegian court

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

OSLO (AFP) — An Oslo court has rejected an inheritance claim from a man insisting he descends from Norwegian king Haakon V Magnusson, who died in 1319, since the statute of limitation for such a claim is far past.

"In accordance with the inheritance law ... the right to claim inheritance expires if the heir does not demand his ... right within 10 years after the testator dies," the Oslo District Court wrote in its decision, seen by AFP on Tuesday.

Jorn Lepsoey, 42, had written a letter to the court at the end of July demanding that a DNA sample be taken from the late king, whose embalmed remains lie beneath the Akershus fort in Oslo, to prove he was a descendant and had a right to his inheritance.

The court documents gave no indication what he expected to...