Heir Mail #6: Ghislaine, Ghislaine, Ghislaine
I would argue that dying while peeing off a yacht *sounds* embarrassing but is actually a pretty enviable way to go, of all the ways to go.
Hello! You’re reading HeirMail, the only newsletter to come from me (hi) setting a Google Alert for the word “heiress” and then just writing about whatever pops up.
This week, I feel bad about linking to the New York Post so much, when the New York Post sucks, but that is the heiress news beat for you! Maybe don’t click the Post links? (That last link’s Rolling Stone, though.)
CTRL+F to jump right to:
Ghislaine
The Ecclestone Sisters, who are glamorous but bore me, I’m sorry
KoreanAir’s “Water Rage” Heiress
A royal wedding between a man billed as Princess Diana’s godson and a PJ scion
Around the alert: KFC heiress hates Lifetime’s AC Slater chicken commercial, Nicky Hilton, EVE Jobs, Anne Hearst, Kit Rowley, Dascha Zhukova, Anerlisa Muigai, Phoebe Greenberg
“Ghislaine Maxwell to offer $30M bail, will finally admit she's married: reports,” New York Post
“Ghislaine Maxwell: Lawyers ask judge for her release on $28.5 million bail deal,” WPTV.com
“Prince Andrew stayed at Epstein’s NYC mansion on 2001 trip despite denial: report,” New York Post
You likely know Ghislaine Maxwell primarily as the kinda ex-girlfriend, mostly madam to Jeffrey Epstein, the late King Shit of Rich Perv Island. As a pair, they’ve been written, podcasted, and limited series-ed about so hard that you’ve possibly even absorbed a fair bit about her father, Robert Maxwell, but just in case: he was the owner six British newspapers (including The Mirror), definitely an MP and maybe a spy, and he died falling off his boat while pissing into the ocean naked, as per his Wikipedia. You could probably even tell me that her name is said “Gee-lane,” a pronunciation that allows you to sing it to the tune of MIA’s “Galang,” which I personally do, a lot.
Ghislaine Maxwell | I. Maxwell, as per Wikimedia Commons
Ghislaine, reports say, is offering to pay $28.5 million in cash bail (and admit that she’s married) in exchange for getting out of the Brooklyn Detention Center, where she’s been held on charges of child sex trafficking since July. The money is rumored to be coming in as $5 million from her brothers and the rest from that secret husband, although this is a little unclear because whoever’s putting up the cash is lobbying to keep their identity under wraps. Perhaps it’s Bill Clinton and Trump, working as a team! Etc.
Cash bail is one of the more literal ways that money runs our justice system — allowing wealthier people to purchase their freedom, while others to languish past the point of any logic and an extortive industry thrives — but to this point Ghislaine’s wealth hasn’t bought her as much as you or I might figure. The prosecutor’s position is that Ghislaine has not been the most forthcoming about her finances and was hunted down on the run, so she should be denied bail entirely. In July, Ghislaine’s lawyers offered $5 million and a promise to totally stay inside (at a luxury hotel) but Judge Alison Nathan declared her a flight risk. This time Ghislaine’s team’s back with a couple tens of millions more, a previously unannounced spouse she might be divorcing (?), and complaints about her vegan diet, for a hearing scheduled for December 21.
It feels messed up to me that our laws create the opportunity to say “okay, I can’t get out for five million bucks… how about thirty?” and the taxpayer-funded system entertains that negotiation — and reportedly, her chances aren’t so good. And who can blame her for trying, US jail is very, very terrible!
But the wedding!!!! The reveal that Ghislaine is married comes through her financial disclosures, as her husband is going in on her freedom with her, and the unconfirmed dude is supposed to be Scott Borgerson. No word on if I find him cute (I do, I’m sorry), but he’s the former CEO of CargoMetrics, “a data-analytics company for maritime trade and shipping.” The fact that the woman who has become the face of conning young girls into abusive sexual situations has made a partnership with a man whose money comes from shipping has certainly brought no notice from followers of QAnon (I’m not linking to that, you can trust me or Google it).
Heiress points: For having a yacht named after her, the one her Dad fell off, 100 points. For trying to bargain her way back into luxury digs from jail, twice, 60 points. For having a husband I find attractive and who’s closer to my age than hers, 50 points. For bringing us the Prince Andrew Post story I didn’t even get to talk about that says after denying he stayed at Jeffrey’s place in April 2001 (when then-17-year-old Virginia Roberts Giuffre was allegedly forced to have sex with him), “Andrew now recalls staying at the late pedophile’s pad to ‘save taxpayers’ money,’” 2 points. For being a conduit for all the evil, fetid selfishness and depravity of the world’s most powerful men, 200 points. 412 points!
Estimated net worth: $20 million, according to CelebrityNetWorth.com, which notes that after her arrest this year the FBI found 15 accounts related to her worth “at least $20 million,” plus there’s the house in Bedford, NH (purchased in cash by an LLC for $1.1 million). Every little bit counts! Walikali puts her alleged husband’s net worth at $5 million; estimated net worth remains a game that’s all made up and the points don’t matter.
“Ex-security guard from Cambs found not guilty of £500K diamond theft,” CambridgeshireLive
“Former security guard found not guilty of James Stunt diamond theft,” Central Fife Times
We’ve covered Tamara Ecclestone a bit previously (she’s on TV, she was robbed), but not so much about her sister Petra (she’s a fashion designer, she was also robbed, separately).
Petra (L) and Tamara (R) Ecclestone, circa 2017 | Tamara Ecclestone’s Instagram
They’re tabloid staples — this week Tamara gave away her daughters old clothes via Instagram and then offered to buy strangers Christmas presents, according to The Sun — but mostly these days it’s for the being robbed.
I’ll admit I’m having trouble hooking into their narrative; they’re not super active parts of the stories about them. It is fun that the prosecutor of the case against the ring that committed Tamara’s burglary thinks Liam Neeson should play him in the movie. I’m basically in favor of making casting suggestions a part of closing statements.
The sisters’ money comes most originally and directly from their father Bernie Ecclestone, former chief executive of the group that manages Formula One. Wikipedia notes that “he was commonly described in journalism as ‘F1 Supremo’” a nickname that says so much about both tabloid journalism and rich people I can hardly stand it. His Wikipedia also has five subsections under “Controversies” including “Hitler controversy” and “Racial statement,” the latter of which is from just this very year. (The other controversies are about bribing public officials and tax evasion.)
Heiress points:
Tamara: Coming in with 160 points from Heir Mail #2, Tamara adds 40 points for the Instagram giveaway. Her intentions could be lots of things — selfless, gross, well-intentioned, a publicity ploy — but to my Hallmark-addled brain they read as lonely. Plus, 30 points for having a flashier robbery than her sister. 230 points!
Petra: Coming in cold, Petra gets 15 points for the less exciting robbery (a 16.18-carat yellow diamond worth just under $700,000, taken from her ex), -10 for ever marrying the gold dealer pictured giving a thumb up here, but plus 60 for, her ex claims, throwing the diamond in his face. 65 points!
Estimated net worth: $300 million, according to Next Alerts.
“Fate of Korean Air's 'water rage' heiress still up in the air,” Korea Times
Cho Hyun-min (aka Emily Lee Cho) is the younger sister of the Chairman of the group that owns Korean Air, as well as the CMO of the group's logistics arm. She got tagged as the “water rage heiress” after — allegedly — throwing a glass of it in the face of the airline’s advertising head because she was unimpressed with his work.
Cho Hyun-min in 2018 following her “water rage” scandal | @leeheehoon_journalism
Hyun-min’s not doing so hot right now, business wise. A new private equity firm called HYK Partners is now the second largest investor in Hanjin Group, her family’s company, and these guys want her out, according to market insiders. A new law in South Korea allows this to happen at all — previously, the PE firm would have needed to own the shares for more than 6 months. This very Billions-y activist investor stuff is unusual in Korea, according to Korea Times sources.
HYK’s main investor is a textile company called Kyungbang, which makes cotton and owns at least one giant department store in Seoul. It’s been around for 100 years — it used to be called Keijo, because it was founded in the Japanese Imperial Period.
This, I learned from Wikipedia, which was irritatingly brief, but cited a book called “Offspring of Empire: The Koch'ang Kims and the Colonial Origins of Korean Capitalism, 1876-1945.” Annoyance that I couldn’t read that book right now led me to Google “Korean capitalism,” which brought me to an article called “South Koreans understand capitalism’s true power,” on a website called CapX. The article mentions that Koreans are taller now, and another more recent one on the site reads, “It is unlikely that Trump has read Aristotle but this is classical in origin. Aristotle said that the best speakers convey ethos, by which he means character. You may not like Trump’s character much but he assuredly has one and this is what makes him so effective.” Their about page says, “CapX was founded to make the case for popular capitalism.” They may indeed be my natural enemy, but I also feel very tenderly toward them? Because buddy, what? I do usually write this newsletter on Saturdays, a little intoxicated.
Hyun-min’s sister Cho Hyun-ah (or Heather) has her own rage incident (“nut rage”), in which she yelled at a flight attendant after her in-flight macadamias were served in a bag instead of on a plate. Is rage a suffix in Korea like -gate is in America? If you know, tell me.
Heiress points: A great nickname, 30 points. An act of physical violence that remains just very funny, sorry!!! 40 points. Being at the center of business intrigue, 40 points. 110 points!
Estimated net worth: The family was at about $3.5 billion in 2016, according to Forbes.
“Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark marries heiress Nina Flohr in very intimate ceremony,” The Tatler
“Princess Diana's Godson, Prince Philippos of Greece, Marries in Surprise Royal Wedding,” People
“Prince Philippos of Greece Marries Aviation Heiress Nina Flohr,” The National Herald
“Princess Diana's godson, Prince Philippos of Greece, marries in secret royal wedding with just two guests,” 9honey
Nina Flohr’s family owns VistaJet, a Swiss private plane company, which her father Thomas founded and of which she’s creative director. Her mother, Katharina, is referred to in this old Variety article as “murderously chic,” and has worked at Vogue Russia and Fabregè.
Nina married Prince Phillipos of Greece in a civil ceremony on December 12th in St. Moritz with only their dads attending (one of whom is the King of Greece). Honestly, a Covid safe ceremony? Less gross than some people.
Writing out like, “Greek prince and godson to Princess Diana marries the daughter of a Swiss aviation billionaire and a staple of the Russian fashion world” does serve to remind you that, wow, the rich sure do manage to meet each other! These guys love to travel; they were engaged in Ithaca in summer, married in Switzerland in winter, here’s her posting from Mozambique this year. I guess that’s what pandemic life is like when your family owns a private plane company!
Heiress points: Marrying a prince? 200 points. Wearing the dress pictured here (scroll, you’ll know) to Princess Eugenie’s 2018 wedding, 30 points. Founding the Bazaruto environmental marine research facility in Mozambique, a flawless example of opaque-to-me heiress do-goodery, 40 points. A distanced wedding, 10 points. And 20 points if and only if this Instagram caption that reads “Thank you India” is actually an Alanis ref. -20 if it’s not. 260-300 points!
Estimated net worth: $2 to 3 million as per Information Cradle, which also puts her dad’s wealth at $2.3 billion.
From the rest of the Alert
I still hate the Lifetime sexy Colonel Sanders “movie,” but I love the way that I’m not alone. The content been dragged by none other than K?F?C? heiress(?) Kaila Methven, whose connection to the brand is tenuous — her grandpa owned the company that “once supplied” most of KFC’s chicken; VF calls her heiressship “self-appointed” — but taste in cynical advertorial is unimpeachable.
Nicky Hilton wore a coat that costs $2,395 — a cool two original stimulus checks — but her hot husband was nowhere to be seen. :( :( :(
It is objectively very funny that the late Apple founder Steve Jobs has a daughter named Eve Jobs. Also very funny is this little koan from OK Magazine: “Eve won’t be inheriting her father’s wealth as the family doesn’t believe in ‘the accumulation of wealth.’ Instead, she is making her own way as a model, an equestrian and an influencer.” (Can’t keep Eve from getting a bite of the Apple. You get it!!)
Anne Hearst is maybe the least famous person she knows — she’s the granddaughter to publishing’s William Randolph, sister to former Symbionese Liberation Army captive/member and god-tier heiress icon Patty, and wife to Bright Lights, Big City author Jay McInerney — but her purchasing a “bungalow” is still worth at least two articles. The pictures on Forbes are better than those in the LA Times, but in truth, none are very interesting. The house must be all about location, as Forbes reports that rentals in Malibu are going for summer rates even in the off season during quarantine. If you love real estate ogling, don’t bother (try this instead).
One of The Bachelor contestants is fashion designer Cynthia Rowley’s 21-year-old daughter Kit. Kit can reportedly surf in heels.
Russian heiress Dascha Zhukova, who used to be married to some British football club owner, is now having a baby with her new husband, Paris Hilton’s ex and shipping “tycoon” Stavros Niarchos. Dascha and Stav were ALSO married in St. Moritz, just like Nina and the Prince. Twins!
Nairobi tabs claim Keroche heiress Anerlisa Muigai’s husband Ben Pol wants a baby.
Phoebe Greenberg, a Canadian real estate heir and patron of the arts, might have been ripped off by her old assistant to the tune of $15 million Canadian ($11.8 US) — or she might have just spent it all herself?
Here’s a question: what’s a better nickname, F1 Supremo or Nut Rage Heiress? LMK.
Nice post.