Inside the battle for The Police’s millions: How Sting’s ‘big ego’ has caused chaos with his bandmates… and the real reason they are turning on him in bitter cash fight

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For over a decade now, Sting has made it clear to his children that they shouldn’t anticipate a large inheritance due to the fact that he and Trudie Styler live quite extravagantly, leading to significant expenses. As he put it in 2014, their numerous commitments result in them spending whatever income they have, leaving little behind.

As a devoted admirer, I’d say, “Fast forward to August 2025 – the court proceedings could potentially lead to a smaller slice of the legendary 73-year-old icon’s wealth being divided among his six kids! Fingers crossed for them!

Unexpectedly, The Police’s ex-band members have filed a lawsuit against him, seeking millions of pounds due to a prolonged disagreement about unpaid music royalties.

The veteran musicians Andy Summers (aged 82) and Stewart Copeland (aged 73), both former members of the rock band The Police, have filed a claim at the High Court seeking significant compensation due to longstanding disputes. A source revealed to a newspaper that this legal action was imminent for quite some time, as negotiations for an amicable settlement out of court had reached an impasse.

Andy and Stewart concluded that their only course of action was to take legal steps, hence they initiated a lawsuit. They claim they’re entitled to millions due to unpaid royalties.

This ongoing tale, rich with wealth and strife, has recorded over 75 million sales and spanned nearly five decades, making it one of the most enduring sagas in history.

In London, back in 1977, The Police was established, and before the 1980s drew to a close, they managed to achieve two number one hits on the charts and the first of four albums that would all reach the top spot.

Back in 1983, the American music publication Rolling Stone labeled them as potentially the largest band globally, given their wave of reggae-influenced rock fans sweeping across the Atlantic. However, their breakup the following year seemed somewhat unexpected, considering they had endured together for quite a duration.

Although they all worked together as session musicians in the mid-1970s, The Police were actually quite diverse in their origins. Moreover, it would be a stretch to call them close friends.

Born in Tyneside as Gordon Sumner, but better known by his stage name Sting, began his life humbly as a milkman’s son. He held jobs as a laborer and bus conductor prior to becoming a teacher. After honing his musical skills in jazz bands scattered around Newcastle, he eventually made the move to London.

Instead of this:

“Copeland was born into a wealthy family in Virginia, but spent much of his early years in the Middle East due to his father’s role as an intelligence officer for the CIA. Later, Copeland attended the American School in London and resided at Millfield, a public school in Somerset, known as ‘the Double Cream school’ because it catered to the intellectually gifted and affluent.”

“Born into a wealthy Virginia family, Copeland spent his early years overseas due to his father’s intelligence work for the CIA. As an adult, he attended an elite school in London and lived at Millfield, a prestigious boarding school in Somerset, which earned its nickname ‘Double Cream’ as it served the intelligent and affluent.

As a seasoned veteran of the music scene spanning over five decades, I, Summers, have always been a respected figure. Reflecting on my journey with The Police, I acknowledged during our early tours that I was part of a band with two individuals who, in retrospect, could be described as challenging personalities.

Sting openly acknowledged that he attempted to manage The Police as a “benign dictatorship.” In an interview just before the band disbanded, he confided: “Our relationship isn’t simple in any way. We are three very independent individuals, and a band is often an unnatural partnership at its core.

It’s clear that there are some strains, but I firmly believe that there’s a deep affection and genuine admiration between us. I can’t imagine collaborating with any other musicians as much as I do with you. However, we’re each challenging to work with, and our relationship has never been overly friendly or simple. It’s not always smooth sailing and never has been.

When asked about their decision-making process, he responded by saying: “I’m not afraid to stand my ground and debate passionately on subjects I believe in. The same goes for Andy and Stewart.

In his own account, Copeland acknowledged that during a playful fight while they were both on tour in America, he accidentally injured the frontman’s rib. He explained, “It was all in good fun, though to be clear, my knee did make contact with his ribcage. We had a bond similar to siblings, so our arguments were certainly intense.

In a more direct manner, the drummer stated that Sting not only harbors intense disdain for humanity, but he seems to view all humans as detestable except those within his immediate family. His ego, it appears, is so immense that it could potentially be perceived from the moon.

During the last tour of the band, he positioned his cymbals on stage in a way that obstructed his view of the singer. Additionally, it’s said that he had scrawled the message ‘Sting is a jerk.’ on his tom-tom drums.

After the rift between them, it’s only normal that the three of them hardly interacted with each other in the years after their split. What might come as less of a shock is that Sting and Copeland attended joint therapy sessions prior to The Police reuniting for a tour which kicked off in Vancouver in May 2007 and concluded at New York’s Madison Square Garden 15 months later.

Clearly, the earnings of $360 million (£265 million) from 3.7 million ticket sales served as a strong impetus for the conflicting sides to set aside their disagreements – an even more compelling factor considering their known affinity for the game.

According to journalist and writer Allan Jones, who traveled with the band during their most successful period, it felt as though he was on a journey with a division of NatWest bank, as the main topic of conversation revolved around money and the potential earnings from the tour.

Copeland might gaze upon India and think: “I believe there’s an opportunity for t-shirt sales in this region.

Each conversation seemed centered on financial matters. They talked about their income, expenses like commuting costs, and the possibility of finding cheaper alternatives.

According to Jones, it was an exhausting experience. In contemporary terms, as of 2022, Summers described the reunion tour (consisting of 151 shows) as a massive reward for everyone involved, and utterly astonishing: the highest earning he’s ever had.

It seems that the writ issued for Summers and Copeland didn’t quite meet the requirement, as it is categorized under ‘general commercial contracts and arrangements’ at the High Court. Defendants in this case include Sting and his publishing company, Magnetic Publishing Limited.

It’s not entirely certain which songs are at the heart of the ongoing legal dispute, but it’s generally believed that both Sting (Summers) and Andy Copeland played crucial roles in creating The Police’s most famous hit, “Every Breath You Take.” This song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983 and was among the top-selling singles of the decade. Previously, Summers himself noted that the song nearly ended up discarded until he added his guitar work to it.

It’s widely thought that Sting, the only writer of this particular song, rakes in over half a million pounds annually from its royalties. However, his representative has refuted claims made by The Sun that these earnings are related to any ongoing legal matter.

During a past interview, Copeland was questioned about whether he knew the lyrics for any of The Police songs he played as the drummer. “I do now,” he answered, then admitted that he didn’t listen to them during the day because he was primarily focusing on playing the drums.

In his own way, Sting maintains a lifestyle that wealth amounting to approximately $550 million (£405 million) can easily afford. His primary residence is a Grade I-listed manor house in the countryside of Wiltshire, and he also owns a 16th-century villa in Tuscany. Furthermore, his real estate holdings have included a townhouse overlooking Central Park in New York City.

Throughout history, other lavish purchases have encompassed an art collection with masterpieces by Matisse and Picasso among them. Yet, if he finds himself having to shell out millions to his former bandmates, this generous spending could potentially become a cause of remorse not only for Sting himself but also for his children.

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2025-08-26 02:53