The family of an 81-year-old former vicar who left his 27-year-old Romanian toy boy husband more than £250,000 have accused his young lover of being a ‘gold digger’ who ‘set out to rob him from the moment they met.’
Philip Clements, a retired Church of England vicar, passed away alone on May 31 in a Bucharest hospital room that was closed to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Widow Florin Marin – who is 54 years younger than his husband – said he was upset after Mr Clements passed away but that two days of mourning ‘is enough’ and that his late husband would not want him to be sad.
Instead, he is now looking forward to enjoying £150,000 he will get from a life insurance policy, a £100,000 house that was put into his name before Mr Clements died, and a £2,000-a-month-for-life pension.
In contrast, Phillip’s younger brother Anthony has been left with two ‘favourite family photographs’.
In contrast to the £150,000 Widow Florin Marin will get from a life insurance policy, a £100,000 house that was put into his name before Mr Clements died, and a £2,000-a-month-for-life pension – Phillips brother Anthony has been given two family favourite photographs (pictured)
Florin Marin, a 27-year-old Romanian model, has revealed that his 81-year-old British husband – retired clergyman Philip Clements – has died and that he will now inherit his estate
Mr Clements, 71, hit back at Mr Marin, telling MailOnline that all he wanted from his relationship with Phillip was money.
‘I told my brother this many times. Florin is nothing but a gold digger who set out to rob my brother from the moment they met. And now he has got what he wanted.
‘The man is a disgrace. I made my feelings clear to Anthony many times. What has happened speaks for itself. Florin has cashed in and has done very well out of my brother.’
Mr Clements, a retired postman added: ‘The whole family feels the same way. I’ve spoken to my other brother Brian about it too and he’s not happy either about the way Florin has taken advantage of Phillip.
‘We were supposed to inherit Philip’s estate but now it’s all gone to Florin. But it’s not about the money because I would rather have my brother alive. What angers us is the way he’s been treated by his husband.’
A favourite family photo Of Anthony Clements (71), brother Of Deceased Former Vicar Philip Clements, pictured with his brothers on their mother’s 90th birthday, Dover, Kent
Mr Clements revealed that he fell out with Phillip soon after his relationship with Florin started. He said he last spoke to him four years ago, when he visited him at his home after the two had temporarily split up.
He said: ‘They were always fighting and breaking up. On one occasion about four years ago I went to console Philip because he was in bits. I supported him through it, but I also told him that Florin was no good for him.
‘But he didn’t listen. Philip was a very intelligent man but not very street wise and it was easy to pull the wool over his eyes and take advantage of him. I could see what was going on but sadly, he couldn’t.’
Mr Clements said that he was informed about his brother’s death in a phone call from Florin on Sunday night.
He said: ‘I had never spoken to Florin before because I wasn’t happy about his relationship with my brother. I was too upset to say anything to him on Sunday night but if I get the opportunity again, I will. I want him to know how I feel.’
Pictured: Anthony Clements, brother of Phillip, who passed away alone on May 31 in a Bucharest hospital room that was closed to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Clements added that Florin then rang him again on Monday night informing him that Philip had left him two of his favourite photographs.
He fumed: ‘Florin told me that he’d send them to me. I didn’t engage in a long conversation with him because I don’t like him and I’m not happy about what he’s done.’
During the conversation, he was also told that once Philip’s funeral takes place in Romania, his ashes will be scattered in a lake in Bucharest he enjoyed visiting.
Philip was the eldest of three brothers who were raised in the village of Shepherds Well in Kent. Mr Clements, who has four grown up children and 15 grandchildren, revealed that he and rest of the family were aware of his sexuality while he was still a practising vicar.
He added: ‘It never bothered me, and it wasn’t something that we spoke about as a family. We’re very open-minded people and were happy with Philip just the way he was. My grandchildren loved him. It’s just a pity that he never found a good, honest relationship.’
Mr Clements revealed that after Philip sold his home in Eastry, Kent he was so concerned that he was financially being taken advantage of that he reported the matter to the police.
‘Most of the money just vanished and you can guess where it went. The police said that I needed to produce evidence and that because my brother was of sound mind, there was nothing they could do.
‘But I was worried about what was going on from the moment he got together with Florin,’ he added.
Mr Clements’s partner Rhona, 66, who has been with him for 24 years said: ‘Philip was a lovely man and the whole family will miss him. Sadly, we will not be able to go to his funeral and we’re not interested in speaking to Florin.’
Mr Marin (right) said that Mr Clements (left) became sick with a fever last month after he ran out of medication during the coronavirus lockdown, before being taken to hospital. He tested negative for COVID, but died overnight on May 31
Philip Clements, a retired Church of England vicar, passed away overnight on May 31 in a hospital room that was closed to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Widow Florin Marin – who is 54 years younger than his husband – said he was upset after Mr Clements passed away but that two days of mourning ‘is enough’ and that his late husband would not want him to be sad.
Instead, he is now looking forward to enjoying £150,000 he will get from a life insurance policy, a £100,000 house that was put into his name before Mr Clements died, and a £2,000-a-month-for-life pension.
Mr Florin (left) said he cried ‘for two days’ at the death of Mr Clements (right) but ‘that is enough’ and he is now determined to get on with his life and enjoy the inheritance he has been given
Detailing exactly what he received in the will, Mr Marin said he will get £150,000 from a life insurance policy, a £100,000 apartment in Bucharest that was put into his name, and a £2,000-for-life British pension – unless he remarries
Florin revealed how Mr Clements had fallen ill during the coronavirus lockdown after he was unable to visit his GP in the UK and was left running low on medication.
He insists that Mr Clements refused to go to hospital for several days – developing a fever and becoming disoriented – before he insisted on taking the elderly man himself.
Once in hospital, Florin said he was separated from his husband as he was placed on a quarantined coroanvirus ward amid fears he had the disease.
Tests came back negative and Mr Clements was transferred instead to a cardiac ward, but slipped into a coma and was placed on life support.
Florin said he then received a call around midnight on May 31 from the hospital confirming that his husband had passed away.
‘People will think that I am a widow with a black hat who is crying, and I did cry, but two days is enough’, Mr Marin revealed in an interview with Mail Online that took place from his £100,000 Bucharest house that Mr Clements bought and put in his name.
‘Philip didn’t want me to cry, he wanted people to be happy whatever happened.
‘I don’t want to show people my feelings because my husband died, because some people take advantage of that and there are people who are happy because of your sadness,’ he added.
‘I am 27 years old and I’m not challenged.’
Mr Marin will enjoy a £2,000 British widower pension for the rest of life unless he remarries.
‘He was my husband and this is my right,’ he said.
Mr Marin will also get £10,000 from a life insurance policy to organise a funeral, but said it will be a simple ceremony with no wake or party – and that Mr Clements’ ashes will be spread in a park in accordance with his will.
In addition, Mr Marin will get around £150,000 from Mr Clements’ life insurance policy.
Mr Marin also revealed he will be given £10,000 to arrange a funeral – but in accordance with Mr Clements’ wishes he will scatter his ashes in a park without a wake or a party
Mr Clements (left and right) lived and worked as a clergyman before meeting Mr Marin on dating site Gaydar four years ago, when he decided to leave his former life behind and move to Bucharest so they could be together
Mr Clements is pictured among crowds meeting Prince Charles in a glimpse at his life before moving to Romania
Mr Clements (left at a gay pride parade and right at home) briefly split from Florin after disapproving of his late-night visits to clubs and a rumoured affair with a man named Jesus, but the pair eventually reconciled
They lived together in an exclusive community called Cosmopolis (pictured) on the outskirts of the Romanian capital
‘My darling people, it is not my fault that left me with this money,’ the 27-year-old said.
He added the the amount was ‘not that huge, it’s not like saying, wow, it’s one or two million pounds.’
Mr Marin says he will ‘always remember Philip’ but hasn’t ruled out future relationships.
The couple met on the online dating site Gaydar and got married three years ago in Kent – but their relationship hadn’t been plain sailing.
They experienced turbulence early on when Mr Clements tried living in Bucharest.
Rows over Mr Marin’s clubbing into the early hours and an alleged affair with a Spaniard named Jesús saw the former vicar move back to England after just a few months, despite having sold his home to live in the Romanian capital.
They were able to keep their romance alive with Whatsapp messaging, however, while Mr Marin moved to work in Spain.
The couple reconciled in March this year after the ex-vicar said he was happy for Mr Marin to visit gay clubs at the weekends with people his own age.
Mr Clements is pictured left during his former life as a priest. Pictured right is a book he wrote on his battle with depression
Early in their relationship, Mr Florin was living and working in Britain but as their relationship progressed they split their time between the UK, Spain and Romania before settling in Bucharest
Mr Clements fell ill during the coronavirus lockdown after running low on medication and initially refused to go to hospital (pictured left at home not long before he died) but was eventually taken there by Florin (pictured on the ward right) where he was put in isolation before passing away
Florin (right) says his husband would not have wanted people to be sad at his passing but to get on and enjoy life – which is exactly what he plans to do. He has not ruled out future relationships, but does not plan to remarry
Mr Clements had been using his church and teaching pension to help pay for their living expenses in their two-bedroom Bucharest home before falling ill.
Mr Marin had said previously he wanted to be Mr Clements’ carer and didn’t mind the negative opinions people might have.
During the interview Mr Marin recalled the last days he spent with his husband.
He said Mr Clements suffered from a number of health conditions and was prevented from seeing his GP in the UK because of lockdown measures to slow the coronavirus spread.
Disruptions caused by the outbreak also stopped him from receiving his medication from the UK, which may have worsened his conditions, Mr Marin said.
He began to worry about his husband’s health after he developed a fever of 40 degrees.
‘I thought it could be Covid-19 but I immediately said, no, because we don’t go out, we don’t meet people. We stayed in the balcony with the mask.’
Mr Marin called an ambulance that rushed Mr Clements to Bucharest’s Elias Hospital.
‘The last sight I had of him was when he was taken out from the ambulance,’ said Mr Marin, who was not allowed to visit due to the restrictions imposed to curb the pandemic.
He handed nurses a letter to give to Mr Clements, and ‘told him that everyone who loved him was praying for him in England and that the cat was fine and missing him.
‘I told him I loved him and that everything would be fine, but I don’t know if he read the letter.’
Mr Clements will be cremated and his ashes spread in ‘a park with a lake in Bucharest’ as directed in his will.
Philip Clements and Florin Marin on their wedding day in Kent three years ago. After a rift the pair are living reconciled earlier this year in Bucharest, but Mr Clements has now passed away following a period of ill health
Mr Clements and Mr Marin are pictured on their wedding day in Kent, before moving to the Romanian capital of Bucharest
Mr Clements (right) sold his home in Kent for £214,750 before moving to Romania and buying a flat in Bucharest. He returned to England shortly after because the pair experienced turbulence in their relationship, but Mr Clements says they have now reached an understanding and are living together again
Mr Clements (left) is pictured meeting Princess Anne (right) during his former life as a priest before meeting Mr Marin
‘He didn’t want people to be sad but to be happy, to be themselves,’ Mr Marin added.
Mr Clements requested a private funeral attended only by his widower and a handful of relatives and friends as well as a simple religious ceremony held in his memory.
Mr Marin said he will find an Anglican priest to conduct the ceremony as opposed to an Orthodox priest from the socially conservative and anti-gay marriage Romanian Church.
He said he kept provided regular updates to Mr Clements’ UK family and friends on his husband’s ailing health.
Although Marin was rejected by one of the brothers, he said he is ready to ‘forgive what happened in the past’ for the sake of his husband.