Seven years after the death of fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, a challenge from an unnamed plaintiff raises new questions about his final wishes.
When the German-born fashion designer, best known for helming the modern revival of Chanel, died in February 2019, most of his 200-million-euro (US$238.3 million) fortune went to a small group of close confidants, the Guardian reports. Now, an emerging legal dispute could see some of his vast estate go to his estranged nieces and nephews, who are his only living relatives.
German media reports indicate that Lagerfeld’s will, which was finalised in April 2016, left most of his fortune to his long-time assistant, Sébastien Jondeau; his teenage godson, Hudson Kroenig; and models Brad Kroenig and Baptiste Giabiconi.
Weekly German celebrity magazine Bunte has reported that the estate’s executor, Christian Boisson, contacted the descendants of Lagerfeld’s late sisters, Christiane Johnson and Thea von der Schulenburg, to inform them that they could inherit his millions if the case proves successful.
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Beyond the wealth earned through his prolific career as a fashion designer, Lagerfeld’s vast estate includes collections of art and rare books, a sizable stock portfolio and a number of luxury properties, including a vast Parisian flat and luxurious Biarritz villa. Although Lagerfeld lived in Paris, he maintained what he called his primary residence in Monaco, making his will subject to French and Monegasque law.
Both countries generally designate the next of kin as rightful heirs, but for the unnamed plaintiffs to win, they must make the case that Lagerfeld was not of sound mind when he signed the will in 2016. Since he had no children, spouse or surviving siblings when he passed in 2019, a decision to invalidate Lagerfeld’s will would see some of his estate go to his sisters’ children.
While little is known about the designer’s estrangement from his family, interviews with Christiane, as well as two of her children, indicate that the distance – at least from their perspective – came without any animosity.
The designer’s beloved Birman cat Choupette, a gift from Giabiconi, will most likely be unaffected by the dispute. Lagerfeld made arrangements for her before his death, bequeathing a home and garden in France, as well as a sizable bank account, to his housekeeper Françoise Caçote for Choupette’s care. Made long before his passing, the dispensation is seen as beyond any legal challenge to Lagerfeld’s will.
