Hermès Heir Plans To Share Half Of His £9.5bn Fortune With His 51-Year-Old Gardener After He Adopts Him
11 Dec 2023
The heir to Hermes has announced his plans to hand over 50% of his wealth to his 51-year-old gardener after officially adopting him.
Nicolas Puech, the 80-year-old, billionaire grandson of Hermes founder Thierry Hermes has made headlines with his shocking succession.
Puech who has no wife or kids reportedly sent a “handwritten note” to the foundation earlier this year detailing his change of heart about where to leave his fortune.
Estimated to own around 5 per cent or 6 per cent of the $220 billion-valued luxury fashion house he quit the Hermes advisory board in 2014 owing to a long raging feud with his other family members, per Entrepreneur.
The decision isn’t without it’s complexities, as adopting an adult especially in Switzerland where Puech lives, is uncommon and subject to intricate requirements. Adults can only adopt other adults if they lived together for at least a year when the adoptee was a minor.
However, even if the plan falls through, Italian outlet Sky TG24 reported that the gardener has already been gifted a property in Marrakesh, Morocco, and a villa in Montreux, Switzerland, worth a combined total of $5.9 million.