Diary

Bettencourt and estranged daughter spotted together

By Giulia Cambieri

They are involved in one of the most acrimonious feuds family businesses have ever seen – complete with court battles, a search warrant and even a declaration of “nuclear war” – but it seems Liliane Bettencourt and her estranged daughter, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, are now trying to bury the hatchet.

The pair were spotted spending some time together in Paris, sitting side by side while enjoying the Armani Prive fashion show.

However, it is hard to tell whether this means the two are trying to reconcile, as their relationship has long since been fraught. 

They haven’t been on good terms since 2007, when Bettencourt-Meyers accused her mother’s entourage of taking advantage of the 89-year-old. Celebrity photographer Francois-Marie Banier was accused of manipulating the L’Oreal heiress, who is France’s richest woman, receiving gifts worth about €1 billion in the process.

Although the two later reconciled, this was temporary and in June 2011, Bettencourt-Meyers requested that her mother be put under legal guardianship, arguing she was no longer in command of her mental faculties.

In October, a court ruled that Bettencourt suffers from "mixed dementia" and "modestly severe" Alzheimer’s and put her under the care of her family.

Jean-Victor Meyers, the heiress’s favourite grandson, now oversees her health and personal wellbeing, while both of her grandsons and daughter were chosen as guardians of the family’s fortune, which includes a 31% stake in the Clichy-based company.

L’Oreal, which was founded by Bettencourt’s father in 1909, is the world’s biggest cosmetic company.

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