[imagesource: Self-portrait/Karl Lagerfeld]

Last year in February, the world mourned the death of Chanel boss and fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld, aged 85.

Lagerfeld, hailed as a visionary, steered Chanel away from certain failure over the last three decades, by taking the fashion house to new heights.

His death is believed to be the result of pancreatic cancer, which he had been secretly battling for a while.

He was also a fascinating and eccentric character who adored his cat Choupette, but hated selfies, meetings of any kind, New Year’s Eve, and ‘all children’.

He might be my spirit animal.

Now, according to The Daily Mail, Choupette, who was rumoured to be the inheritor of his fortune, could be locked in a legal battle for the ages.

At stake is the ‘Kaiser’s’ fortune which is said to stand at £178 million, but may in fact be closer to £400 million.

The beneficiaries are a collection of male models and former employees — plus his young godson.

The will has been filed in the tax haven of Monaco — it is not a public document.

Image: Karl Lagerfeld

However, the Press in France report there are seven beneficiaries — all human, and all of whom stand to inherit millions.

Five of the seven are what are called: ‘Karl’s boys’ — young men who became his muses over the years.

The seven possible heirs include:

• Sebastien Jondeau, a part-time boxer turned model.
• Baptiste Giabiconi, A French model who was ‘like a son’ to the designer after they met at a nude modelling session in 2008.
• Jake Davies, British model, originally from Yorkshire; Caroline Lebar, who worked for Lagerfeld for years.
• Caroline Lebar, Choupette’s ‘nanny’.
• Francoise Cacote, Lagerfeld’s housekeeper who became Choupette’s ‘nanny’.
• Brad Kroenig, who caught Lagerfeld’s eye after being pictured fully nude in an Abercrombie & Fitch shoot.
• Hudson Kroenig, Brad’s son and Lagerfeld’s godson.

Finally, of course, Choupette is still in the running, although she is already very rich because of the royalties on ‘Choupette blue’, a patented Chanel colour, and the Karl Lagerfeld range of Choupette face handbags.

A hardback book, Choupette, was published in 2019 and sold out.

She has a registered bank account.

The models are now bickering among themselves over who Lagerfeld loved best, and who will, therefore, be getting the largest slice of the inheritance, something which is likely to be contested if any one of them are left underwhelmed by their share.

I’m rooting for the cat.

[source:dailymail]