Millionaire businessman killed in Titan sub catastrophe left wife with less than £100k in Britain
10 January 2025, 06:09 | Updated: 10 January 2025, 06:16
The millionaire businessman killed in the Titan sub left his wife with less than £100k in Britain after dying without a valid will.
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Shahzada Dawood, 58, and his son Suleman, 19, were among the five people to have died aboard the Titan vessel in June 2023.
The sub suffered a "catastrophic implosion" while on the way down to the Titanic shipwreck, with debris being discovered days later.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush was also on the trip along with UK billionaire Hamish Harding and French explorer Paul Henry Nargeolet, having paid $250,000 a head.
Due to Mr Dawood dying without a valid British will, a Grant of Letters of Administration was issued to the administrator of the estate, according to the Mail.
It meant his £76,958 estate was given to his wife, Christine, who still lives at their Surrey home with their daughter Alina.
His probate documents show that he was domiciled in Pakistan, with most of his fortune appearing to be outside of the UK.
New footage shows wreck of Titan submersible
The Dawood family had become fascinated with the Titanic after visiting an exhibition in Singapore in 2012.
Opening up about the disaster last year, Ms Dawood said: "The moment we knew they'd found debris and there were no survivors, Alina and I went on deck.
"Until that moment we'd had hope. We took some cushions with us and just sat there looking out at the ocean. We were both crying.
"I turned to her and said: 'I'm a widow now.' She said: 'Yes, and I'm a single child.' Then we cried even more."
She went on to say: "No parent should have to grieve for their child. It's unnatural. All of a sudden your purpose, your identity, is ripped away from you."
Stockton Rush, who organised the trip, is said to have believed the journey was "safer than crossing the street", despite previous warnings from experts that there were safety risks.
He had flown to London to personally reassure Mr Dawood and his son that the Titan sub was safe ahead of the voyage.
