The roots of the dispute go back to 2007, when Mr MacLeod inherited the 42,000-acre estate from his father, John.  Like Archie MacDonald, the protagonist of Monarch of the Glen, Hugh MacLeod's natural environment was London, his lifelong home, where he still spends much of his time working as a freelance film and television writer and producer, living in Chelsea with his wife Frederique and their son Vincent.  Mrs Byers, 57, said "things started to go wrong" in 2009, when Mr MacLeod told her she had to work longer hours on a reduced hourly rate and would lose some holiday entitlement, which led to "a breakdown in communications".  Matters came to a head when Mr MacLeod carried out an inventory of furniture in need of restoration. Mrs Byers, who lived in a two-bedroom flat at the castle and was in charge of archiving its artefacts, had a Victorian table and desk in her rooms which were earmarked for repair work.  Mrs Byers pointed out to the laird that the mahogany table and desk had been left to her by her predecessor, Donald Stewart, who said she could keep them because they would not fit in his new home when he retired.  Mr MacLeod accused Mrs Byers of misappropriating the desk and table, and fired her from her £16,500-a-year job for gross misconduct, telling her at 5.10pm one evening in March this year to leave immediately. Following a hearing in October, the tribunal in Glasgow has now ruled that Mr MacLeod used the row over the furniture as a "smokescreen" to get rid of Mrs Byers.  Alan Strain, the tribunal chairman, said Mrs Byers had shown integrity, credibility and consistency in her evidence, while Mr MacLeod had a "closed mind" on the matter and had chaired meetings on the accusations himself. "He was the accuser, the sole witness and the judge. The manner and timing of the meeting was unreasonable. Mr MacLeod's mindset was closed. Maureen Byers was being exited," said Mr Strain.  In evidence, Mr MacLeod said: "I needed to have complete trust in the person that was in that role and I felt that I didn't believe the story about Donald."  Helen MacLean, representing Mrs Byers, asked if he had queried her story at the time and he replied: "Not at the time because I had other things to do." The tribunal was told that Mr MacLeod had not checked a computerised inventory taken in 2008, which showed that the two items were not owned by the estate.  Mrs MacLean said she expected her client to be paid around £20,000 in compensation.  Mrs Byers, who is now working as a housekeeper at a hotel, said: "It was really quite a harrowing experience. Dunvegan Castle was my home for over 13 years. I loved my job there and was very happy for the first 11 years.  "Then in March this year, without warning, Mr MacLeod gave me 10 minutes to pack an overnight bag."  Dunvegan, the ancestral seat of the MacLeods, boasts of being the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland and has hosted visitors including Sir Walter Scott and Dr Samuel Johnson. Open to the paying public during the summer, it is often used for location filming, and provided a backdrop for the 1986 film Highlander, and more recently was a set on the film Made of Honor, starring Patrick Dempsey.  The MacLeod Estate said in a statement that it "is naturally disappointed by the employment tribunal's decision. However we are pleased that the hearing is now over and we wish Mrs Byers all the best for the future".
In echo of BBC series, London-based heir rings changes after inheriting   800-year-old Scottish estate. . . only to face &pound;20,000 unfair dismissal bill