Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. And then something else happened, which was absolutely not in the norm of things, Margherita says. She is the world's Grandmother, giving advice and sharing He would occasionally go for a swim. The letter was signed by Gianni Agnellis four sisters and the other family members present at the meeting. But that wasnt uppermost to me, because our relationship, I thought, was based on an elective affinity. . Her daughter was often featured on her TikTok account. In an adaptation from her memoir, she recalls the jet-set circuitNew York, Saint-Moritz, the Rivieraher shattered friendship with Truman Capote, and the Moroccan Eden she has created since Giannis death. Daughter: Doris Agnelli. The pandemic arrived and people were stuck home and looking for escapism. Giannis dream eventually became a reality in 1983, when the yacht Azzurra entered the race and came in third. She and the children moved with him to Brazil, where he went to work for a French oil company, and almost immediately the couple began producing children of their own. Ironically, this mission has caused her to lose what she says matters most to her: her family. The couple, who will also be attending next months coronation in London, toured the Italian singers foundation headquarters earlier in the day. She claims she never got it. This, I soon discovered, was how the Agnellis traveled when they took a night train. Here is the main question of our interview. Children are honest and curious when they see him, but parents are to polite and dont allow them to ask questions for fear of offending. . We soon realized we had no idea where to put the huge works by these young painters we were discovering: Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Tom Wesselmann, Frank Stella, Robert Indiana . My father was less judgmental and gave our union a chance. And he says, I cannot talk to you until you make peace. And the conversation stops there, leaving me very, very sick. By the time I met him, I had read two of his books (Breakfast at Tiffanys and In Cold Blood) and considered him a young genius. Capote's Swan Dive. There was very little to do and I was incredibly lonely. A mother, artist, teacher, poet, and amateur psychologist, Margherita has always been something of an anomaly in Italys first family of business. What have I observed and learned in the quarter century since? I didnt have the support system that I needed to succeed. She was a blonde and a delightful child who began to express a talent for painting at a very young age. Putting yourself first is one of the hardest things for people to do. 15: Not the Louise Agnelli you were looking for? I was born in Colorado in 1925. She has invited me to her home to explain that, because she dared to demand a full accounting of her fathers estate, she has become a pariah, one that the men who help manage the businesses of the extended 200-member Agnelli family would like to see go away. It took me many years to look back and realize that I had gained incredible knowledge and value from pulling myself back up from my setbacks. Can you share a story or example of that? Part of my family has been taken over by a Baroque and decadent logic, he told the left-wing daily Il Manifesto. Two weeks after Giovannis death, Agnelli shocked everybody by announcing that John Elkann, then 21, would assume the throne. I'm Gio, I make videos with my family. We wish to let you know that none of us share your position. On January 24, 2003, Gianni Agnelli died at the age of 81, after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer. We would leave Turin, and 40 minutes later Gianni and the children would be jumping into the waves straight from a flying helicopter. I just keep on keeping on. My girlfriends spent hours telling me about his reckless military actions as well as his gallant bravery. Not only has Margherita refused to disappear, but she is also staging a very public fight for what she claims is her just due: the right to know the full extent of her late fathers huge estate, estimated at between $3 billion and $5 billion. My granddaughter Ginevra got married here to Giovanni Gaetani dellAquila dAragona in April 2009, and my grandchildren and great-grandchildren often come to visit. Just sign, Margherita says everyone implored her, so we can get back to business. Lets now shift to the main part of our discussion about Second Chapters. Im collecting stories from disabled children and incorporating them into books that will be inclusive to everyone. When Doris Agnelli was born about 1925, her father, Joseph, was 35, and her mother, Louise, was 31. I have a YouTube channel, Instagram, Facebook and of course where it all started, TikTok. If so, how did you overcome that limiting belief about yourself? Can you tell our readers about your career experience before your Second Chapter? He could see I had no aptitude for domestic concerns. Agnelli had chosen Gianluigi Gabetti and Franzo Grande Stevens, who were the closest to him business-wise, says Countess Marina Cicogna. I had tried to warn him on the boat when he gave me a short section of his book. I'm Gio, I make videos of Doris, my sassy 95 year old grandmother. It is an act that betrays the wishes of Gianni Agnelli, my husband., With my husbands memory very much in my mind in this phase of my life, my only wish is to see peace return to the relations between my daughter and the rest of our family, a wish that unfortunately I know I will not see fulfilled while Margherita persists with her senseless initiative. I just didnt have time to keep up with everything. The things people say and do to each other on the internet used to stay in the internet, but its bleeding into real life and changing how people communicate with one another in real life. Margherita claims she was excluded from the baptism of Johns firstborn son, Leone. Who is in and who is out. I told him, Look, do not ask me to sign any papers, because I really want to understand what I am signing and what I am agreeing to or not agreeing to. So he says to me, Do not worry. Theres nothing that I have to sign.. This is something that I truly have no control over, but with this many years under my belt youre bound to see history and people repeat their actions. As somebody who is ugly, nasty, monstrous. They say, Its none of their business. I believe thats why Im so active and healthy. Doris Agnelli Do what is right for you no matter what. The sisters plunged into one of their most heated campaigns since they reportedly dissuaded Gianni from marrying the British divorce Pamela Churchill (later Pamela Harriman, the U.S. ambassador to France under President Clinton) in 1952. They composed a letter that was eventually sent to several Italian newspapers, supporting the business advisers and criticizing Margherita. I started by babysitting children in my home and grew it into a larger daycare center that was aimed particularly at working mothers. You dont get to the Promised Land without going through the Wilderness. You dont get there without crossing over hills and mountains, but if you keep on keeping on, you cant help but reach it.- Martin Luther King Jr.. One day I called my grandson and said Please come and get me out of here. She was very hands-on, which is different from the more formal way she was brought up, with nannies and drivers.. Theyre not hiding anything he didnt tell them to hide, if anything was hidden., A lot may have needed sheltering. Soon after that, she decided to get her affairs in order for her own succession, so that her estate would pass seamlessly to her children at the time of her death. With four. I spent more and more time in my room, in my bed, existing but not living. It was after a brief encounter with his mother in 1943 that I began to listen to stories about the Agnelli clan and about Gianni, the eldest son. I want young people to embrace life at every stage and realize aging isnt a punishment. My family moved west to buy land and become ranchers. After they married, in 1985, Margherita converted to de Pahlens religion, Orthodox Christianity. Today she is fighting the flushes full of aspirin, she tells mebut then, fighting has become routine for her. Although Gianni Agnelli left shares of Dicembre to his wife, his daughter, and his oldest grandson, he made it clear that his chosen business successor would be the grandson. We used to spend several weeks in Turin every summer before making our way to Villar Perosa, the family home at the foot of the Alps, in Piedmont. She says shes persona non grata at Agnelli family events. However, my best friend throughout my life used to describe me as a bumble bee. Pitbull is a pal, Carbone is for dinner, and. Thats when I first became aware that gardens breathe and are alive, just as we are. (Her three children by Alain Elkann and other family members also stayed away.) Gabetti, Grande Stevens, and Maron had been instrumental not only in making Gianni Agnellis fortune but also in saving it for his family. He didnt like motorboats or speedboats at all. I wish someone told me that I didnt have to follow the path that society built. They were very angry and completely unsupportive. The house has been flash-frozen since the day its owner left it. I had a program for mothers that were on welfare, or struggling financially. A month after the meeting in the notarys office, Margherita wrote the first of seven letters to the consiglieri, asking for a clear and full accounting of all cash, investments, and real estate. Its pretty simple. So I had to do what was right for me. Im finally my own self. So I think this battle has provided her with a role.. Because my children were told not to talk to me. Princess Charlene and Prince Albert Visit Florence For a Gala with Andrea Bocelli. Doris, 94, tells viewers what she did with her cheating husband's lady friend. I was present at the drafting of that letter, says Lupo Rattazzi. This snapshot of Doris Agnelli's life was captured by the 1940 U.S. Census. Access is free so discover Louise Agnelli's story today. I left my cheating and abusive husband in the 50s. As lunch is being prepared, Margherita recounts how the problem began. We fought bigotry and homophobia in a time when there was virtually zero support from the world around us. For all his love of modernity, Gianni had a conservative streak in him. She is the worlds Grandmother, giving advice and sharing wisdom with her fans around the world. ), She promptly called Gabetti, her fathers longtime aide-de-camp, and asked him, What was the need for things to go so quickly? She says he told her not to worry; everything would be cleared up in a months time, at a meeting before a notary in Turin. Since the 2003 death of her father, Gianni Agnelli, the head of the Fiat car company, who was known as the unofficial king of Italy, Margherita, his only daughter and sole surviving child, has. Because Margherita was attacking the very people who helped her father amass the fortune he amassed, which she proceeded to inherit a great part of. What they did not know was that Margherita had initiated what would become a two-year investigation into her fathers holdings. Immediately, Giannis search for a successor shifted dramatically to my family, says Margherita. Fantastic. Her TikTok journey began with an account that was created for her by her grandson in April 2020. Can you share a story about that? We were ambushed, says Lupo Rattazzi. The men Margherita was attacking were heroes to the Agnelli family. When she walked into the meeting, she and her mother each owned 37 percent of the holding company Dicembre, which controls the familys businesses, and John owned 25 percent. Villa Bona, on the other hand, had been built ex novo. Italian businessman Gianni Agnelli , President of Fiat, skiing in St. Moritz, Switzerland, with Doris Kleiner, the wife of actor Yul Brynner, 1968. . They had their three children, John, Lapo, and Ginevra, within the space of four years. People need to ignore the preconceived ideals that they believe their parents, or others think is best for them. (2) A portion of her parents art collection, which includes works by Francis Bacon, Gustav Klimt, Paul Klee, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Balthus, and Egon Schiele, worth an estimated $1 billion. John and Gianni shared a passion for yachts, and I remember many glorious hours spent with them at sea off the coast of Newport, observing the race between Australia and the United States during the 1962 Americas Cup. Behind all of this is an economy which is kept in the hands of a certain few, Margherita tells me as we walk into her kitchen for lunch. I guess it provided that free-spirited lightness that we craved at the time. He was 33. Join Facebook to connect with Giovanni Agnelli and others you may know. This is the annoying Grandson Gio at 17. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? In your opinion, what are the top three qualities that you possess that have helped you accomplish so much? (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Posted on 28 October 2014 by admin 0 comments. He did not seem to care a great deal about giving me answers. Instead, she says, he would tell her, Dont you worry, my little girl. At that time he felt invincible. We are in charge. They miscalculated. Your life is fine.. Well, Im answering these questions for your interview so thats incredible. He was the chosen heir of his grandfather Gianni Agnelli, and chairs and controls the automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (which owns the Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Lancia, Maserati, Mopar and Ram brands), which has formerly represented 4.4% of Italy's GDP. Doris, also known as Sassy Gran, has become popular for her incredibly bold and refreshingly honest personality. Because Fiat Group controls several Italian media organizations, including the powerful La Stampa and Corriere della Sera newspapers, he also knew that Margherita needed to get her side of the story out before the forces of Fiat and the Agnellis could spin their own story. In 1955 being an openly gay man wasnt easy, but I encouraged my best friend to come out of the closet and be true to who he was anyhow. He was a beautiful baby, and his arrival brought immense joy to our lives. He would prank me, or he would ask me about my past, or just sit and gossip. And how did you reinvent yourself in your Second Chapter? Anyone whos known Gianni Agnelli knows for a fact that nothing could be further from the truth. Come in, she says, opening the door of her large and imposing chteau on the shore of Lake Geneva. And Villar Perosa, a house that had belonged to the Agnellis since the early 19th century, was his bridge to a past that had ended abruptly with the death of his parents and the loss of his grandparents shortly after. I provided free childcare for them because I knew that the thing they needed most was peace of mind, so they could put their efforts into bettering their situation for themselves and their children. I used to sneak out of my bed at night and wander down to the end of the garden. In June, she opened a home for orphaned and abused children next to her brothers house in Turin and dedicated it to him. Widow Marella Caracciolo Agnelli , daughter Margherita Agnelli and her husband, Serge De Palhen , attend the official funeral ceremony for the late. Why doesnt somebody just show Margherita the complete list of assets, one wonders, and get it over with? My breakup with Truman happened before the chapter from his novel Answered Prayers appeared in Esquire magazine, in 1975. To know that I might bring a little love or comfort to someone that Ive never met is the most fascinating thing in the world to me. They were delighted that, at the age of 32, their Avvocato, as they called him in tribute to his law degree, had finally decided to get married. Gianni would join us for dinner in the evening from his office in Turin, just like his grandfather Senator Giovanni Agnelli had done with his family so many years before in the 30s and 40s. Gianni knew he was dying for a long time. In Turin, people will tell you that shes found a role for herself. Since the 2003 death of her father, Gianni Agnelli, the head of the Fiat car company, who was known as the unofficial king of Italy, Margherita, his only daughter and sole surviving child, has been trying to break down what she claims is a wall of secrecy and manipulation regarding his fortune. She didnt stand much for discipline, either at home or at school. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. He escorted Edoardo on a tour of American colleges, including Princeton, where Edoardo would obtain a degree in comparative literature and Oriental philosophy. It worked well for me, but once I was married I had to give it up. Gianni liked him, too, finding him amusing and good company. In the end, I was mostly alone and sad. I have always loved a photograph of me in front of the Orvieto Cathedral, in Umbria, shot by my friend Wanda Gawronska. I wouldnt say they belonged to an immoral world, just a freely amoral oneat least by comparison with the one I had grown up in, an isolated, slightly conservative world known as the anglo-beceri. That same day, in Rome, the Agnelli family joined the president of the Republic of Italy at the opening of a major exhibition entitled Gianni Agnelli: An Extraordinary Life, featuring 250 photographs of LAvvocato with everyone from Ronald Reagan to Queen Elizabeth, to Henry Ford II, to John F. Kennedy. I love my family but I have so much more life to live within a week I was living in Los Angeles with a completely renewed lease on life. Sassy Gran Doris is an American Tik Tok star. This is the moment he decided to end his engagement. I was determined not to die in bed and fought every single day to get up and walk again. When Edoardo and Margherita were still young, Gianni loved to dazzle them with spectacular gestures, such as inviting them to join us for a last-minute trip to the Riviera. I had met him in New York in the early 60s, and we became friends. I think I touched on this before, but being on camera was something I wasnt comfortable with. She founded the institution, she says, to further Edoardos quest for a better world for everybody, especially for children, as he saw their defenseless innocence being injured and found it unacceptable. The home can accommodate 10 children between the ages of 6 and 14. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory? Did you ever struggle with believing in yourself? In one pa RTIC ularly well-liked clip, which has had 57 million views on Facebook and TikTok, Doris describes how she retaliated against her cheating husband and his "woman friend" after finding out about his infidelity. Giovanni was born on March 12 1921, in Torino, Piemonte, Italy. The administrators of Alkyone were, not surprisingly, Gianluigi Gabetti, Franzo Grande Stevens, and Siegfried Maron, who was in charge of the family offices in Zurich and Geneva, where he looked after Gianni Agnellis international movable property, according to Margheritas lawsuit. At 95 years old, most of my lifelong friends have passed on. Her 14-page summons reveals a matrix of seven trusts and investment vehicles that Agnelli may have created to guard his assets, which, Margheritas attorney says, could constitute a parallel patrimony that might even surpass the official listing of Agnellis Italian assets, which some have estimated at $3 billion. I didnt care about being physically fit, many people dont. In the unending soap opera that is Italy today, the case of Margherita Agnelli de Pahlen versus her relatives and their advisers has descended from the upper reaches of the aristocracy into the guttera catfight of lurid headlines and vicious accusations. Tie Loafers With a Suit. The Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci used to say there is no time in life when you feel more alive than during war, says Lupo Rattazzi. But why?, I asked navely. His 41-year-old grandson is best known to Italians as the owner of Juventus football club and the car companies Fiat and Ferrari. Box 644 Burbank Ca 9150 beacons.ai/sassygran Videos Liked 53.8K #sassygran I had mom watch #lewiscapaldi new video @lewiscapaldi is loving these reactions 65.2K They decide whats got to be done and not done. But with gardens it is different. In an effort to bring young people into the Agnelli businesses, Gabetti hired the smart, handsome son of the leader of Pariss Jewish community to work at I.F.I. Please share a story or example for each. Because I happen to be the only living daughter of my father. In the interim, she has experienced a renaissance as a speaker about micro-credit around the world, as a painter of icons and religious art, and as a public figure, who for the first time in her life is going out in public. She also gave me counseling on the number of servants needed for each house, where to have their uniforms made, and how to manage their working hours. One friend who relished being part of our summer cruises in the Mediterranean was Truman Capote. Doris was born May 29, 1925 in the Bronx, NY to Louisa and Joseph Agnelli. By Carlo Ferraro/AFP/Getty Images. This has all come about, Margherita maintains, because she did what no Agnelli had ever done: she went public with her grievances and filed a lawsuit against her fathers three longtime consiglieriGianluigi Gabetti (until recently the chairman of one of the familys holding companies), Franzo Grande Stevens (the familys chief legal counsel), and Siegfried Maron (the manager of the familys private assets)which also involved her mother. By Erich Lessing/Magnum Photos. The charismatic elder Agnelli - known in Italy simply as "L'Avvocato," or "The Lawyer" - died in January 2003, leaving the largest Italian industrial concern in a period of uncertainty. Both Edoardo and Margherita suffered from Gianni Agnellis frigid treatment of them, says one close observer, his inability to love and have normal familial relations, his well-known infidelities, the way he treated and led a separate life from his own wife, coming together only for state affairs, while riding with the president and prime minister, but generally going off and having a string of girlfriends and mistresses., Ever present was one of the men Margherita is now suing, Gianluigi Gabetti, who went to work for LAvvocato (Agnellis nickname, for his law studies) in 1971 and served him faithfully for 23 years. The still-untitled Agnelli skein was announced Saturday by director and producer Ginevra Elkann who is the granddaughter of late Fiat magnate Gianni Agnelli. and Giovanni Agnelli & Company a combined 7.5 million euros. Gianni Agnelli flew by helicopter to collect the remains of his son. He was able to create a deep sense of intimacy. This was partly because of business and partly because Manhattan, in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, was far more cultivated than anywhere in Europe. In spite of what Margherita said, everybody was flabbergasted. For Margherita to go outside the family with a family matter was contemptible to the de facto leaders of the Agnelli clanGiannis four octogenarian sisters. What are your 5 things I wish someone told me before I started leading my organization and why? His occupation was influential Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. When Marella was pregnant with her, Agnelli was engaged in one of his most torrid affairs, with a noblewoman who was a serious threat because she was his social equal. Her campaign to be apprised of the complete contents of her fathers estate. But there is something more: if indeed her fathers estate contains assets other than those originally divulged to her, she demands that they be divided between her mother and her. It is right next to the Quirinale, where, before Rome became the capital, in 1870, the Pope used to reside and which now serves as the residence for our head of state. Im about to launch a book series called Sassy Gran Presents. At their wedding, in 1975, when Margherita was 19, Gabetti served as Elkanns best man. With offices in Manhattan, Lima, and Geneva, and a staff of more than 20, her company has more than $700 million in funds. 25K Followers, 452 Following, 46 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Giovanni Agnelli (@giovanni.agnelli) . If I knew then, I may have been easier on myself.