A cleaner has denied plotting to steal £50 million in jewellery and cash in a raid on heiress Tamara Ecclestone's London home.

Maria Mester, 47, and her son, bar worker Emil-Bogdan Savastru, 29, are charged with conspiracy to commit burglary at Tamara's £70m mansion in Palace Green, Kensington, on December 13.

A £300,000 pair of diamond earrings and a Louis Vuitton bag were among the haul which included currency, jewellery and watches estimated to a value of £50 million, the majority of which have yet to be recovered.

Romanian national Mester pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary and a charge of concealing criminal property when she appeared via videolink at London's Isleworth Crown Court on Friday.

The alleged conspiracy is said to have taken place between November 30 2019 and February 1 2020, while the concealing criminal property charge dates back to January 31.

A cleaner has denied plotting to steal £50 million in jewellery and cash in a raid on heiress Tamara Ecclestone's London home (
Image:
W8 Media / SplashNews.com)
Tamara's £70 million home, located in Kensington (
Image:
ITV/Monkey Kingdom)

The raid happened after Tamara, the daughter of former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, headed off for her Christmas holiday to Lapland with husband Jay Rutland and their daughter Sophia.

Mester was allegedly wearing £300,000 diamond earrings when she was held after arriving at Stansted Airport on January 31, travelling from Italy where she lives.

It is claimed Savastru, of Bethnal Green, was found in possession of a Louis Vuitton bag similar to one taken in the raid and was planning to board a flight to Japan.

Mester appeared in court via video link and spoke through an Italian interpreter from HMP Bronzefield.

She confirmed her name, nationality and date of birth and denied one charge of conspiracy to burgle and one charge of concealing criminal property.

Tamara and her husband Jay Rutland (
Image:
Corbis via Getty Images)

Wearing all black, Mester wept quietly throughout the hearing.

She said: "I'm not guilty, I wasn't even there."

Savastru was not present at Isleworth Crown Court due to an error at HMP Wandsworth and will be arraigned on Thursday 5 March.

He is charged with conspiracy to burgle, having custody of a counterfeit of a currency note, and attempting to remove criminal property on 30 January this year.

Tamara and her daughter Sophia in her home just before the raid (
Image:
Roland Leon/Sunday Mirror)

A 21-year-old man was also arrested with Mester at Stansted airport on 31 January but was released under investigation, as was a 31-year-old man arrested in east London the day before.

Ms Ecclestone was said to have been left 'shaken' by the raid on her hidden safes at the 55-room property near Hyde Park.

The exclusive street where the raid took place boasts 24-hour security patrols, and is close to where Prince William and Kate Middleton live with their children.

Local residents also include Foxtons’ founder Jon Hunt, Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, the Sultan of Brunei, and China’s richest man Wang Jianlin.

Tamara and her dad Bernie Ecclestone (
Image:
Getty Images)

Tamara and her husband often shared photos of the luxury mansion on social media in the past, and featured it on their ITVbe reality show

Prosecutor Simon Arloff earlier told how property worth £50million including currency, jewellery and watches was stolen by the raiders, who entered through the garden.

Mester denies conspiracy to commit burglary and concealing criminal property and was remanded in custody.

Savastru has not yet been arraigned and will appear on Thursday 5 March at Isleworth Crown Court.