Françoise Bettencourt Meyers was born on July 10, 1953 in France. Her father was the politician and entrepreneur André Bettencourt. He served as a minister in the governments of Pierre Mendès-France and Charles de Gaulle. Her mother was Liliane Bettencourt, the only one of Eugène Schueller, who founded L’Oréal in 1907. Françoise and Liliane’s relationship was never the best.
The richest woman in the world. She’s an heiress to a cosmetics company
Meyers’ parents liked to shine in the social circles. They threw lavish parties, had lots of friends and spent money on various whims. Françoise was different: shy, reserved, focused on her own interests, a bit lonely. She attended a school run by nuns. She practiced piano for 5 hours every day. At first, her mother was considered the richest woman in the world. However, she became the heroine of a scandal.
Photographer François-Marie Banier appeared in her life. Bettencourt, who suffered from dementia and Alzheimer’s, gave him expensive gifts: two life insurance policies, 11 works of art, cash. Françoise decided to intervene. She accused the man of exploiting his psychological weakness for personal gain. Manipulated, Liliane publicly called her daughter a “pain in the ass”, a “cold child” and told her to seek help from a psychologist.
Liliane Bettencourt and Françoise Bettencourt Meyers Orban Thierry/ABACA/Abaca/East News
L’Oréal’s owner doesn’t like the spotlight. She focuses on her family and work
Meyers filed a motion to the court to establish guardianship over her mother. In doing so, she gained control over the family. In 2017, Liliane died and the title of richest woman in the world passed to her daughter. The woman is impressively modest. “I don’t live in a mansion. We are not great collectors of works of art and I don’t wear jewelry,” she said in an interview. People appreciate her for her class and subtlety. “I live in my own bubble, immersed primarily in my family circle,” admitted Tom Sancton, author of “The Bettencourt Affair.” Françoise runs a family business and is a successful writer. She is the author of books on Greek mythology, Judaism and Christianity. She married banker Jean-Pierre Meyers and has two sons. Despite all the unpleasantness she experienced from her mother, she never spoke badly of her. “She was beautiful, but I never felt the slightest rivalry. I looked at her with admiration, she always looked elegant. Do we have different tastes and personalities? Yes, but is that an obstacle?” she said.
Source: Gazeta
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