Hayes Hawthorne disowns son Michael Hawthorne

Loki Andres, Zane H. Prescott, William Robby Jobbings | Business/Political 

All information is accurate as of January 4.

The Sultan of Emeraz, 51-year-old Hayes Hawthorne, has severed relations with his son, Crown Prince Michael Hawthorne, 29. The high-profile split involves two of the world's richest individuals; Hayes ranks as the sixth wealthiest person globally with a net worth of 8.2 billion IC, while Michael follows closely in eighth place with 7.1 billion IC. In this fallout, Hayes Hawthorne has also removed the title of Crown Prince from Michael Hawthorne, thus making it impossible for Michael to inherit the throne.

Hayes Hawthorne published a statement on 'witfree.dom', a site by Klaus Technology that allows users to express their thoughts without censorship or restrictions.

On 3 January, he wrote, “I have no son like @michaelhawthorne, disgrace.” 

The post received mixed reactions and had 2 million reposts with over 4 million comments.

The top comment with 1.1 million likes, by user @015.arnold#0298 reads, “We all know he’s a horrible father.” 

Another popular comment with 976,016 likes, by @004.jack#1532 questions, “What kind of son snatches the company from his father?”

The fallout came after Mr Michael Hawthorne was promoted to CEO of Hawthorne Industries on 2 January. This promotion meant that Mr Hayes Hawthorne would lose his position as CEO, and in hopes receive other executive positions. Despite high expectations, Mr Hayes did not receive any role or compensation from the company board.

Hawthorne Industries is a major conglomerate company that manufactures close to everything. From lightbulbs to textiles, Hawthorne Industries has factories and infrastructure globally. Any entity, individual or organization could contact Hawthorne Industries for collaboration. The company would then determine the suitable type of factory that would profit and thus build a production line. (This is taken from Lucas Armfield's speech at the Grand Entrepreneur Discussion, 2025.)

Mr Hayes was the acting CEO since 2019, having founded and invested in the company throughout its journey. He later received extra funding from Shacklebolt Corporation, which holds a 15% stake.

Prior to the re-election for CEO in late December 2025, Mr Michael strategically acquired and offered a handsome amount of money to buy additional shares as well as working to consolidate backing from major shareholders. The exact amount is not known publicily, but financial analysts estimate around 1 billion IC. Mr Hayes has since expressed his dissatisfaction publicly on his PROupdates account.

Mr Michael has had his title as Crown Prince removed by Mr Hayes on 3 January. The other royal family members have not expressed their views on this matter yet, but Frey Hawthorne, Michael’s brother, has spoken his mind on this feud actively.

We have reached out to Mr Michael for comment. He responded via email, “My father is a biased man, what I did may seem unacceptable, but I have my reasons.” Upon further questioning, Mr Michael continued, "I'm not his concubine's son. He loved that woman to death, literally. As the eldest son of the woman he never loved, I received all of his anger. What did my mother do? To meet this man?"

No response was received from Mr Hayes nor the other royal family members.

What led to the unfortunate event?

The roots of the family feud and tense relationship trace back to Michael’s childhood. On several occasions, Mr Hayes was seen directing most of his attention towards his youngest son, James Hawthorne, now 17. Mr Michael was often left out of the spotlight.

In interviews, Mr Hayes frequently praised youngest son, James, and declined to comment on questions regarding his oldest son, Mr Michael. Several public figures have criticised what they describe as Mr Hayes’s biased treatment towards his oldest son. 

Records from the official Emeraz Royal Web show that during Mr Hayes’s marriage to Mrs Adaliah, Mr Hayes had been in a relationship with the late Ms Veronica Jameson. 

Mr Hayes entered the marriage with Mrs Adaliahas part of an arranged alliance between the Mideon Rogues, a feared tribe and Emeraz.

Two months after the wedding, Mrs Adaliah became pregnant with Mr Michael. Ms Veronica was allegedly unaware that her partner had another girlfriend.

Three years later, Ms Veronica was pregnant with Mr James. During her pregnancy, Mr Hayes largely withdrew from public appearances and was said to be spending his days mostly accompanying Ms Veronica. 

Shortly after Mr Michael’s third birthday party, Ms Veronica discovered news that Mr Hayes was married. Ms Veronica was kept inside the royal palace of Emeraz, and isolated from the outside world, thus remaining unaware that Mr Hayes had a son with another woman. She died by suicide shortly thereafter, leaving behind and infant James who was barely a month old. 

Mr Michael explains in a later interview last year, “He resented my mother. It was an arranged marriage. She was innocent. Hayes kept the news of his wedding for about 2 years from James’s mother. They were already a couple and she had just given birth to James. Somehow James’s mother saw my mother and realised that Hayes was already married. She was devastated.”

Adaliah Mideon, Mr Hayes’s wife and Empress of Emeraz, has defended her son’s actions on PRODATES, criticizing Mr Hayes’s conduct as a father.

“I support my son. He has never been a good father to Michael, I hope everyone can understand.”

The post was circulated widely, with social media influencer Yadd Jacobs calling her “the best mother”.