Rupert Murdoch marries for a fifth time in California ceremony

Gain access to a complimentary version of the Editor’s Digest

Every week, Roula Khalaf, who is the chief editor of the FT, handpicks her most preferred news pieces for this newsletter.

According to a spokesperson for his family, media mogul Rupert Murdoch got married for the fifth time on Saturday to Elena Zhukova, a retired scientist who specialized in molecular biology.

At 93 years old, Murdoch gave control of his companies Fox and News Corp to his older son Lachlan in November, finally ending a dramatic and highly publicized period of uncertainty about who would succeed him. This succession saga has been a hot topic in the media and has even inspired various TV shows.

It is predicted that the marriage of the person to Zhukova, who is 67 years old, will not have an impact on the family trust that oversees approximately 40% of the voting stocks for both enterprises.

Murdoch and Zhukova tied the knot at the California vineyard of the businessman. Zhukova is the parent of philanthropist Dasha Zhukova Niarchos, who divorced her first husband, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Murdoch, who was born in Australia, has fathered six children with three different partners, all of whom have been named as beneficiaries of his trust. However, their voting rights may differ. Murdoch was engaged to Ann Lesley Smith, a former police chaplain, for a brief period last year, but the wedding was cancelled. After six years of marriage, he ended his union with former model Jerry Hall in 2022.

Although Murdoch has scaled back his responsibilities within his media business, he is still recognized as its leader.

In the previous month, Prince Harry's endeavor to file a lawsuit against Murdoch got dismissed as part of his legal action, along with other prominent figures and politicians, against News Group Newspapers. This legal move was a result of claims that the said newspaper is involved in phone-hacking scandals. The News Group Newspapers is part of the News Corp conglomerate, which used to publish the News of the World and currently publishes The Sun.

Lachlan Murdoch has been struggling with declining audience and advertising revenues at Fox's local stations during the US presidential primaries. Nonetheless, he remains optimistic that both will improve during the general election.