EXCLUSIVE
An American woman who claims to be the secret daughter of the late Prince Philip has launched legal action in the US Federal Court to prove her paternity.
In legal papers exclusively obtained by 7NEWS.com.au, Colleen Wensley-Garcia — also known as Grace Victoria Mountbatten — is demanding the release of FBI and CIA documents that could prove that Philip is her father.
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Her claims first came to light late last year when she approached Queensland father Simon Dorante-Day about her royal love child case.
Dorante-Day has long believed he is the biological son of King Charles and Queen Camilla, and says he has substantial proof and years of research to back up his claims.
In an interview with 7NEWS.com.au, Dorante-Day, 58, said Wensley-Garcia flew to Australia last December and arrived unannounced on his doorstep, requesting a sample of his DNA to help prove her claims.
Even though Dorante-Day refused at the time, he has now been sensationally named in the woman’s legal case, which was filed on May 7 in the United States District Court, Northern District of California.
Dorante-Day is named as “Defendant 28” in the case, along with Philip Charles Mountbatten, the director of the FBI, the Department of Justice Attorney General and the director of the CIA.
In the court papers, Wensley-Garcia alleges that she’s been the subject of ongoing threats, harassment and camera surveillance due to her royal paternity claims.
In one of the documents, she used similar claims raised by Dorante-Day in his own case as a means to prove her own allegations.
She further alleges that the FBI, CIA and “possibly” the US Department of Defence are in possession of documents — including her birth certificate — that prove who her biological father is, and is demanding they be released to the court.
Speaking to 7NEWS.com.au, Dorante-Day said the court documents had led him to investigate her claims, which he believes are far-fetched.
“I don’t think she’s got a ghostly chance in hell with this case,” he said.
“Her court case made me look at her story a bit deeper, and there are some concerns.
“She says that she believes that she was born in 1953 — about the third or the sixth month.
“So I said, ‘Okay, third month of 1953. Let’s take off nine months, that puts us back to about the eighth month of 1952.
“Where was Philip in the eight month of ‘52? And well, the Queen came to the throne, her dad died in February 1952. And she didn’t get on the throne, like the coronation wasn’t until March ‘53 — is Phillip going to be leaving during that time?
“I can’t see anything that took him outside of the UK, which is where he was with Elizabeth.
“So a basic background search on her story comes up plum.”
Dorante-Day said Wensley-Garcia believes she was born in Germany.
“Her story is that her adoptive father was working for the US Army in Europe, and he was stationed over there. And her adoptive mother was also an admin for the army in Germany,” he says.
“She says this Russian or Ukrainian girl came into Germany, and she was pregnant – she believes the girl fell pregnant either before she came into Germany or in Germany.
“And she gave birth to a girl and she believes is Philip is the father. The adoptive parents then took the mother and the child back to the US, to San Francisco, and they arranged to adopt the baby.
“She believes the Russian Ukrainian woman may still be alive, maybe living in Minnesota.
“Well, like I said, first of all the historical check shows — was Philip doing anything outside of the UK during that time?
“They had to go through the funeral of the King, the ascension of her to the throne and the coronation.”
The Queensland engineer also doubts whether a birth certificate naming Prince Philip even exists.
“She’s got like 28 parties in this federal case — the FBI, the CIA, the army offices where a mother and father used to work, all the senior officers — to try and unlock all this information,” he says.
“She’s trying to find her birth certificate, but there’s no way Prince Philip would’ve put his name on the birth certificate even if he was the father. He’s not that stupid.
He claims her case is vastly different to his, given the lack of corroborating evidence.
“Her case doesn’t make sense. She says she was told that Philip was her father for years, that she’s known this for years. She said she had her adopted parents’ blessing to investigate when she was 30, so many years ago,” he says.
“So why didn’t she approach Philip when he was alive? Why did wait till he died?
“Her case, the way she’s gone about it is so different to me. I have always had a lot of independent verification that’s built the foundations of my case.
“It’s not like someone told me Charles and Camilla were my parents and now 30 years later, I’m gonna go and try and get a court case out of it.”
Dorante-Day is livid over being dragged into the case, and the way his personal information was discovered by the woman.
He claims an Australian private investigator handed over his address to Wensley-Garcia, which Dorante-Day says is a violation of his rights.
“I’m absolutely spewing over this, as you can imagine,” he says.
“She didn’t get my permission to name me in this case, she’s got no legal right to party me on this case.
“There’s no way in hell any registry in Australia would take that as a case from a self litigator. You just wouldn’t be allowed to party somebody who’s got absolutely nothing to do with the case.
“So she’s gonna pay for this. And like the investigations company, like I said, that’s triggered me now to go off and look at these private investigators. And they’re basically licensed by the state to breach your privacy.”
He is, however, interested to see how Buckingham Palace reacts to the new lawsuit.
“She’s served it on Prince Philip’s estate, so I imagine King Charles would get a copy — or his lawyers would at least anyway, so he’d be aware of this,” he says.
“I’m curious to see how and if the Palace responds.
“Because she’s filed this in the Northern District of California Federal District Court, she’s made that public.
“It’s opened up a can of worms, but she’s also done me a favour – this has given me an opportunity to talk to the US Federal Court.
“I’m going to be expressing my dislike of being named by someone without legal grounds for a start, but will also be raising other matters.”
Wensley-Garcia’s claims
Here are a series of excerpts from Wensley-Garcia’s court papers, filed in United States District Court, Northern District of California.
- “I then experienced a series of non-stop attempted road murder, terrorising attempts with many dead pigeons/fish with heads cutoff and a dead duck thrown at my patio doors. Threats were made with many homeowners/people involved circling my house flipping me odd and yelling to leave in order to have me stop the lawsuit and leave town. With the lawsuit now dissolved (my attorney David Sideman all of a sudden quit after five long years), and with threats continuing, the San Francisco FBI office was contacted in November 25, 2020 as the threats became more intense and involved with most contracting companies who worked on the Marinoa and other home owners. I was followed by many Nevada vehicles/people from Nevada to my California residence to induce terror. Local Police says they could not handle it. When the FBI/CIA became involved, case was opened and that is when I discovered the actual biological adoption information.”
- “It was also discovered that surveillance cameras had been placed in my homes, as per Federal department’s information/pictures. I also discovered my UK family has done a similar event hiding another child/not adult 57 years. Simon Charles Dorante-Day now from Austria (sic). With a Private investigator, I met with Simon, allowed him to read my court documentation. He too is under Australian Government protection due to many threats on his life.”
- “On July 18, 2022, I petitioned the San Francisco Superior Court to unseal my adoption records. Exhibit A also outlines the history of both my adoptive and biological parents (all deceased) and my possible birth outside of the United States of America in Russ or Germany. Exhibit reflects my adoptive mother’s Top Secret U.S. Army clearance.”
- “Plaintiff is not in good health and is battling several serious health issues. Plaintiff is requesting the release of records, record locations and list of assets, so that her inheritance can be distributed to her heirs and to charities.”
- “I respectfully request the FBI, CIA, DOD, DOJ, DPH, DOJ, US Army, ICE, DVA and the CCSF to release my original birth certificate for identity purposes. Plaintiff believes she was born out of the United States. If correct, Plaintiff wishes to clear up any outstanding immigration issues, if they exist, pertaining to violations of immigration civil rights to identity.”
- “Plaintiff requests defendants to release the information and documentation regarding or relating to my inheritance, including any Trusts with the work “Trinity” in the name.”
Dorante-Day’s case
Simon Dorante-Day has provided these claims to support his belief that he is Charles and Camilla’s son.
- Dorante-Day was born on April 5, 1966, in Gosport, Portsmouth, in the UK.
- At the age of eight months, he was adopted by a local couple named Karen and David Day. His adoptive grandparents, Winifred and Ernest Bowlden, had both worked for the Queen and Prince Philip in one of their royal households. Ernest Bowlden also received an Imperial Service Award.
- Dorante-Day’s grandmother told him many times that he was Camilla and Charles’ child. “She didn’t just hint at it, she told me outright,” he said.
- Dorante-Day’s research has shown him that Charles and Camilla first became close in 1965. He claims months later, in the lead-up to when he was born, Camilla disappeared from Britain’s social scene for at least nine months, while Charles was sent to Australia.
- A historian has claimed the hospital where Dorante-Day was born – as listed on his birth certificate – didn’t deliver a single baby during the decade he was born. It’s further believed that the names the parents listed on his birth certificate were “fictitious”.
- Dorante-Day said he has recollections of being taken to houses around Portsmouth as a little boy. There, he would spend time with the woman he believes was Camilla, while protection officers and his adoptive parents waited outside.
- Dorante-Day said his first and middle name – Simon Charles – were given to him by his biological parents. “My adoptive mother told me that it was a condition of the adoption that my name – Simon Charles – stay the same, my middle name stay the same,” he said. “Charles and Camilla had a close friend called Simon at the time.”
