The Chelsea Barracks case in the High Court this week has a star cast list that you just couldn't make up

Court 57 proved a tricky place to find. Admittedly I was under time pressure, leaving my desk just 20 minutes before the case of CPC vs Qatari Diar was due to start.

The long queue to get through security at the Royal Courts of Justice, the rabbit warren of corridors and the rickety old lift up to the sixth floor all contributed to my slightly confused state. And the empty silence outside the courtroom itself made me think I’d take a wrong turn.

Could this really be the venue for one of the biggest showdowns over a land deal in the UK? As legal cases go, the bitter battle over Chelsea Barracks has embroiled more star names than most: the Candy Brothers, Prince Charles, London mayor Boris Johnson, Lord Rogers as well as members of Qatar's royal family.

But once through the courtroom door it was clear the place was packed with lawyers and press, all talking in hushed and excited tones.

Christian Candy, owner of CPC, was in the front row of the public gallery looking relaxed. He even laughed a couple of times during the opening statements from the legal teams in the morning, although they were his own counsel’s jokes so that may not be so surprising.

Christian Candy, owner of CPC, was in the front row of the public gallery looking relaxed. He even laughed a couple of times

In the witness box in the afternoon Candy appeared confident during cross-examination. When pressed on the role of his brother, Nick Candy, on the central London scheme he seemed unflustered – stating it was normal for his brother, with whom he shares several homes as well as the Candy and Candy business, to offer advice.

But most of the day was spent by the legal teams of both sides setting out their arguments. The gist of it is whether Qatari Diar was justified in withdrawing the planning application after Prince Charles made his views known to the Qatari royal family.

Qatari Diar say it was the best course of action as the application was likely to have been rejected, Christian Candy says he’s owed up to £81m for a project that was scrapped without his consent.

Day one didn’t produce any headline-grabbing outbursts from Candy against Prince Charles, or anyone else for that matter. But according to the trial timetable he’ll be cross-examined for another two days, so the tucked-away, unassuming court 57 could still play host to some theatrics…

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