Will Helmsley’s $8bn estate go to the dogs?

Nicknamed "The Queen of Mean", the late Leona Helmsley has proved anything but when it comes to animals. A newly disclosed document reveals that the American hotel tycoon decreed before her death last year at the age of 87 that almost all of her huge estate, some $8bn, should go to the care of dogs.

Originally, she set two goals in the will - helping destitute people and providing for the welfare of dogs - but she later deleted the first part. Lawyers suggest, however, that the trustees may not be bound by Mrs Helmsley's wish. The mission statement was not incorporated into the will or the trust documents, so it allows the trustees discretion in distributing the money.

Helmsley's will has already proved contentious among her family. She left $12m to her beloved white Maltese bitch, Trouble, who was spoon-fed gourmet food by maids at her 46th-floor flat in the Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan. But money has not brought Trouble happiness. She was forced to go into hiding earlier this year after receiving dozens of death threats, fleeing on board a private jet with a team of security guards. Trouble’s $12m was later reduced to $2m, with $6m going to Helmsley’s two children, who had previously been disinherited.