Like any father, he cherishes these precious reminders of holidays, family celebrations and the school years during which his sons grew into adulthood.

But after 21 years that paternal pride was suddenly shattered – replaced by profound sorrow and a burning sense of betrayal.

In 2016, he was told that it was medically impossible for him to have fathered the sons he loved – and still loves.

The news came at the cruellest possible moment while he was reeling from the shock of being diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a life-limiting condition that effectively meant Richard, 55, was living on borrowed time.

As he tried to come to terms with the diagnosis, the multi-millionaire businessman also learned that a devastating side effect of the genetic condition was infertility.

Despite apparent evidence to the contrary in the shape of the sons he had watched being born, there was no medical chance whatsoever they could be related to him by blood. ‘I just didn’t know who I was any more,’ he told The Mail on Sunday.

‘It’s like suffering a bereavement, it’s incredible, but in a way it’s even worse than that because it goes to the very heart of who you think you are. When someone asks you about your background, you tell them you’re the father of three children – it’s how you define yourself.

‘In an instant I discovered I didn’t really have any children.

‘You begin to question everything you thought you knew when such a fundamental pillar of your life is suddenly removed.’

That day two years ago, when the life Richard thought he had was dismantled by a few sentences from a hospital consultant, marked the beginning of his legal quest to wring the truth from his ex-wife Kate, 54.

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