On February 19th, Chanel’s iconic creative director Karl Lagerfeld died in Paris at the age of 85. As the fashion world mourns over his passing, more attention has been brought to the inheritance of his wealth. It has been reported that the late German fashion designer’s beloved ‘sweetheart’, Choupette, will inherit his estimated fortune of $300 million. Although Lagerfeld has named her as a beneficiary in his will, the Instagram famous star will not be able to inherit his fortune; at
least not directly.
So, who is Choupette? She has her own book, fashion line, and of course, a full Wikipedia page in her name. With a few modeling gigs done here and there, she has two personal maids and a private jet for travel. It has been exactly 13 years since she first met Karl Lagerfeld on a white Christmas, when they fell in love. Choupette, which means ‘sweetheart’ in French, is his Birman cat. Choupette first came into Karl’s life when he took care of her over the winter holidays as a favour for a friend. Karl and Choupette have been inseparable ever since. After trotting along to work with ‘daddy’, the feline has made a name for herself in the fashion industry.
During an interview with Numéro, he was asked if Choupette would inherit a portion of his wealth. Lagerfeld gave a brief response saying, “among others, yes. Don’t worry, there is enough for everyone” and even famously addressed her as “the Heiress”. Karl Lagerfeld and his ‘Heiress’ had resided in France until his death on February. Under French law, it is illegal to name pets as beneficiaries of one’s fortune. However, Lagerfeld is a German citizen; when asked about the French law, Lagerfeld explained to Numéro, “well, it’s lucky I’m not French then.”
Even if she were to inherit her father’s fortune, however, she would still not be the wealthiest pet on the planet. That title goes to Gunther IV, a German Shepard who inherited $375 million from his owner. But she still might end up being the wealthiest cat, as the current record holder is Blackie, who inherited $12.5million from his owner in 1988.
Written by Jackie Goeun Baek | Staff Writer
gbaek2@masonlive.gmu.edu
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