A king’s ransom: James Stunt’s royal trick

A king’s ransom: James Stunt’s royal trick

James Stunt’s art collection was praised by the British royal family and said by experts to be worth more than $300 million. The only problem? It was largely utterly bogus

Words: Giampiero Ambrosi

Illustrations: Chantel Walkes

The first time I ever encountered James Stunt he was screaming at me through the phone. “I want a first right of refusal. Give me a first right of refusal! Don’t you understand?” In fact, I did not understand. I didn’t even know who he was. All I knew was that he had a plummy British accent and a flair for screaming at flunkies.