Nicolas Puech is a fifth-generation descendant of Thierry Hermès, who laid the foundation for the luxury fashion house in 1837. Even though he left the company’s board in 2014, the 80-year-old still holds a sizable stake in the $220 billion business. According to reports, the billionaire is planning an incredible succession plan that includes adopting his 51-year-old gardener.
The estranged heir to the Hermès fashion dynasty, Nicolas Puech, has said that he will give his former gardener his $11 billion wealth and $5.9 million in properties.
Hermès, a brand well-known for its high-end products, such as the renowned Birkin bag, has not yet replied to inquiries for comment on this subject.
Hermès’s Heir Nicolas Puech To Give His Wealth To His Gardener
Nicolas Puech is a fifth-generation descendent of the designer mogul and fashion conglomerate Thierry Hermès, and ranks as one of Switzerland’s wealthiest individuals. Nicolas Puech, who never married or had children, made the unexpected decision to name his former handyman and gardener as the only beneficiary, as published by the Swiss newspaper Tribune de Genève.
Nicolas Puech is said to have already begun working with his legal team to adopt his former employee because it is seen to be a “crucial part” of his real estate inheritance, which includes properties in Switzerland, Morocco, and Marrakesh.
It is reported that the ex-gardener is the father of two children and is married to a Spanish woman. The unusual choice of heir could be explained by a rift that shook the Hermès family. In 2014, luxury rivals LVMH acquired a portion of Hermès, which allegedly led to problems within the family and forced Puech to retire. The man stands to inherit a significant portion of Nicolas Peuch’s fortune, including acquiring substantial properties in Marrakesh, Morocco and Montreux, Switzerland valued at $5.9 million.
“He resigned because he has felt for several years beleaguered by members of his family, who have attacked him on several fronts, not only regarding LVMH,” a spokesperson for Puech said at the time.
Legally processing an adult adoption, however, may present certain difficulties because, according to Swiss custom, a successful adoption requires that you have known the adoptee since childhood.
Apart from the fact that attempting to adopt his gardener is proving to be somewhat laborious, there are rumours that Puech has placed himself in an unfavourable position regarding his riches and will.
Puech had already pledged his wealth to the Isocrates foundation, which he founded in an effort to dispel false knowledge. It has been reported that any attempt to modify this promise would result in legal issues.
A possible confrontation is indicated by the foundation’s statement, which it shared with Fortune, in which it opposes any unilateral revocation of the inheritance arrangement.
Other Famous Personalities Who Left Their Wealth To People Not Related By Blood
A Forbes study claims that there have previously been other examples of extremely wealthy people making unexpected inheritance selections. For instance, Luis Carlos de Noronha Cabral de Camara, a Portuguese aristocrat, once bequeathed his fortune, a luxurious car, and Lisbon to seventy randomly selected people selected from a phone book.
In the 1920s, a Canadian lawyer bequeathed a sizable portion of his robust estate to a trust that was to be liquidated ten years after his passing and awarded to a Toronto woman who gave birth to the greatest number of children between 1926 and 1936. This scheme, known as the “Great Stork Derby,” eventually made four mothers wealthy, with each receiving $110,000 (roughly $2.4 million in today’s currency).
