Guy Brudenell declared bankrupt with debts of £21 million

Mr Brudenell, of Nawton, near Helmsley, had business interests in aviation, hotels and restaurants and property companies based in the UK, the Isle of Man and the British Virgin Isles.

At one time, he had shares in two of Helmsley’s leading hotels, the Feversham Arms and the Black Swan, although he sold them and has had no involvement in the hotels for some time.

He was a well-known figure in the village, where he sparked controversy by regularly landing his helicopter in the grounds of his home, Kirkdale Lodge.

And his wedding in 2005 to Pennita Wilshire – from whom he is now divorced – hit the headlines because it involved one of only two glass wedding carriages in Britain, with the other one being used on the same day by model Jordan and Peter André.

Now Mr Brudenell’s business empire has come crashing down after he was declared bankrupt at York County Court, with his affairs being handled by insolvency practitioner John Bell, of Hawdon Bell and Co of North Shields.

Mr Bell said today: “It’s a complicated case and will take many months to work through to find out the full position.”

Mr Brudenell was a director of a number of companies registered in the UK, the Isle of Man and the British Virgin Isles, many related to property. As a bankrupt, he has had to give up all his directorships.

In York, he is understood to have been involved at one stage in proposals to build student accommodation.

His aviation business, Astra Aviation Ltd, went into voluntary liquidation last month, with Paul Appleton, of David Rubin and Partners of London appointed as liquidator.

A spokesman for the firm said no assets were available for the liquidators and the main creditor was the Crown.

Documents submitted to the Official Receiver are understood to state he has declared debts of £21 million, many relating to loans, credit cards and personal guarantees and involving banks and other financial institutions.

A creditors’ meeting is to be held but the venue and date are not known.

Kirkdale Lodge, given as Mr Brudenell’s address by the insolvency practitioners, was placed on the market more than two years ago, when it was priced at £1.3 million.

Jill and Simon Rhatigan, owners of the Feversham Arms Hotel &Verbena Spa, said in a statement that Guy Brudenell had been a minority shareholder in the hotel and spa until March 2009, when he sold his shares. They said they no longer had any connection with him.

A spokeswoman for the Black Swan said Mr Brudenell had been a shareholder in the past but had had no connection with it for some considerable time, and the hotel was unaffected by his bankruptcy.

Pennita Wilshire Brudenell, 29, is divorced from Mr Brudenell and her fashion boutiques in Helmsley and Northallerton, called Pennita, are not affected by his bankruptcy. She did not wish to comment.

The Press was unable to contact Mr Brudenell for comment.

The fairy-tale wedding that hit the headlines

THESE were happy, even fairy-tale times for Guy Brudenell, long before the good life ended in financial disaster.

It was the day he married Pennita Wilshire in September, 2005, the day she arrived at All Saints’ Church, Helmsley, in a sparkling Cinderella-style glass carriage – a replica of one that model Jordan used for her wedding to Peter Andre at exactly the same time.

The carriage was brought from Norfolk for the occasion.

The bride walked to the church from the carriage on a purple carpet, while guests were given just one word for the dress code on their invitations – glamorous.

The vicar, the Rev David Wilbourne, said the wedding was one of the most spectacular that Helmsley had seen.

“The carriage was just like in the story of Cinderella when the pumpkin is turned into the glass coach,” he said. “It was what the bride wanted for the day. The church was very full and it was good to be here for it.”