Disney has just paid #240 million for the rights to Winnie-the-Pooh. Who will benefit

A.�A A Milne, who wrote the books, died in 1956. He divided future earnings from his books four ways: Westminster, his old school; the Garrick, his club; the Royal Literary Fund, and his descendants. < xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Q. His descendants

A.� He had one son, Christopher Robin Milne, immortalised in his books, as the friend of Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet. However, before his death in 1996, Christopher Robin gave up his royalty rights.

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Q. Why

A.� Christopher Robin was very anti-Disney, according to his widow Lesley. 'He hated what they had done with the books and the characters. Christopher just wasn't interested in money, either.'

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Q. So who does get it

A.� The couple sold half of their quarter-share in the royalties to the Royal Literary Fund for �150,000, it would, after the Disney deal, have been worth �30 million. They then gave the other half of their share to set up a trust fund for their daughter, Clare, who was born with cerebral palsy. She has been receiving a substantial amount from the estate every year and will now get a cheque for �30 million.

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Q. What about the rest

A.� The Royal Literary Fund should receive about �90 million, while the Garrick and Westminster school will gain about �60 million each. The descendants of E. H. Shepard, the Punch cartoonist whose charming illustrations grace the books, will receive a much smaller amount. A A Milne's literary agent, Curtis Brown, will get about �7 million.

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Q.� And what will they use it for

A.� The Garrick has decided its share will go to the 'improvement of the club'. A minority of members wanted the money to be divided among the 1,100 members. The Royal Literary Fund, set up to look after 'authors of merit who have fallen on hard times', hopes to help more authors and widen its brief to advance literary education. Westminster school,� which A A Milne attended in the 1890s, where he was taught by H. G. Wells, will improve facilities and use bursaries to allow less well-off children to attend.

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Q.� But why has Disney coughed up so much

A.� Disney first bought the rights to exploit the characters in 1961, and has since paid twice-yearly royalty cheques to beneficiaries. What started out as a simple tale inspired by a father watching his young son play in the woods has become a global business.�The Pooh characters are among Disney's most profitable,�easily eclipsing Disney's home-grown Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. The brokers Merrill Lynch believe Pooh merchandising is worth �3.75 billion a year.

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Q.�� What did Christopher Robin think of all this

A.� His widow Lesley said: 'Winnie-the-Pooh was a curse to Christopher. Everyone had a picture of my husband as a golden boy surrounded by bluebells and adoring parents. But he was sent from nursery school to public school. He was also an only child, which is never easy.'

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Q.� She will get nothing

A.� Not from Disney, but she will continue to earn royalties from the Pooh books, which are not part of the new deal. Book royalties are considerably less than earnings from merchandising, film, television and the theatre.

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by Steve Cunningham

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