Journalist and wife of a billionaire tells about the real lives of rich wives

In March 2020, the world had 2,095 billionaires. Many of them are married, but some girls do not lose hope of marrying a single or divorced man, in order to guarantee a more affluent life without work. However, women who are looking for a wealthy man must also be prepared for the difficulties that may arise in this relationship.

O awesome.club decided to tell what is hidden behind the facades of luxurious mansions, based on the life of Barbara Amiel, popular journalist and wife of a media tycoon. As a bonus, you will find reports of some women who opted for an ostentatious life, but dependent on their husband.

Melinda and Bill Gates. Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng

many billionaires they dedicate most of their time to work and, therefore, find their future wives in the companies themselves. For example, Melinda Gates was a manager at Microsoft before meeting Bill Gates. Rupert Murdoch’s second and third wives also worked at his company: Anna Torv was a journalist for The Daily Telegraph newspaper, and Wendi Deng was director of the Star TV channel in Hong Kong.

It’s no secret that many men choose partners who are attractive and younger than they are—wives who end up reflecting their husbands’ social status. But there are exceptions: for example, media mogul Konrad Black married famous journalist Barbara Amiel when she was 51 years old, being four years older than him and having already had three marriages.

While it sounds fun to be a billionaire’s wife, these women have a lot of responsibilities that not everyone would be able to handle. After marrying Conrad Black in 1992, Barbara plunged into the epicenter of socialite life. Below are some questions she addresses in her book. Friends and Enemies: A Memoir (“Friends and Enemies: A Memoir”).

Before her marriage, she led a very quiet life, working as a journalist, living in a rented apartment and eating frozen food. And suddenly, she found herself in the position of organizing lunches and dinners for movie stars, financial tycoons, socialites, aristocrats and even the Prime Minister and royalty. At first, taking care of everything alone seemed impossible. According to Barbara, it would not be an exaggeration to say that she preferred working in the salt mines to her sophisticated life. She had to take care of a 2,400 m² property, but she didn’t feel prepared at all. At the same time, one had to win the favor of high society and be able to behave properly in the company of well-mannered ladies who attended luncheons but ate almost nothing. Throughout her life, Barbara had never designed the interior of a single room. And, overnight, she was responsible for choosing decorations for mansions in London, Toronto and Palm Beach. And there was no way she could fail. At times when the designers understood, through vague and ill-founded answers, that she was nothing more than a layman on the subject, the amounts charged automatically increased by 60%. She also forsook ordinary clothing stores to live up to the expectations of high society. Thinking she would make a good impression on her new circle, she went to Rome to buy a custom-made dress; however, she got herself into an embarrassing situation. An acquaintance of her husband saw Barbara wearing the dress and said with disdain: “You mustn’t let your wife go back to that little Italian seamstress.”

Barbara’s conversations with other wealthy wives were limited to curt comments and wan smiles. She writes: “I was once berated by billionaire Sid Bass’s wife, Mercedes, for wearing white high heels. ‘Never wear white,’ said Mercedes. ‘This color is for saleswomen only.’” Mercedes and her husband were part of an elite group that Konrad Black was close to. Therefore, cutting contact with Mercedes was not an option. In addition, at a certain point, she found herself obliged to stop meeting old friends and began to establish relationships only with people of the same social status. When Barbara entered the group of wealthy women, she discovered that, in their opinion, she was overweight. Unlike them, she never abused plastic surgeries to look younger: she had only had a rhinoplasty and filler procedures. At a charity dinner, she reached out for a slice of bread and received another comment: “Bread is not the mainstay of life.” Women in Barbara’s circle believed that bread, butter, and desserts were unhealthy, while salads, which Barbara hated so much, were well received.

Not only women but also men made negative comments. Barbara relates: “I thought my emerald drop earrings were beautiful. I tucked my hair behind my ear to show it off. but I was humiliated during lunch with five people. ‘Your earrings are the wrong color’, ironically said banker John Gutfreund, also known as the ‘King of Wall Street’. I squirmed in embarrassment. He continued: ‘Probably, they have too much oil and that made them sick.’” (Observation of the awesome.club🇧🇷 fissures in cheap emeralds are often filled with natural oils such as cedarwood.)

Meanwhile, Barbara made a point of being friends with other wealthy women. After fancy dinners, she would send lavish gifts to the hostesses in thanks, but they were either not accepted or went unanswered. That’s what made Barbara feel so lost: “I once wondered if the alligator leather wallet I had sent was too flashy or just made from the wrong part of the alligator.”

One of the benefits of being a billionaire’s wife is that it can satisfy vanity. It didn’t take Barbara long to get used to the public attention. Wife of a media mogul, she was flattered when everyone turned their heads to see her. She was also comfortable talking to famous photographers and celebrities. Furthermore, she enjoyed her financial situation. In an interview with Vogue magazine in 2002, she said: “I have an extravagance that knows no limits”. Barbara had a wardrobe for furs, a wardrobe for sweaters, and a few more, used only for evening gowns, as they didn’t fit in one place. She also had more than one hundred pairs of Manolo Blahnik shoes and a large number of handbags and accessories from famous brands. Typically, the wives of billionaires have a whole workforce at their disposal, from cooks, nannies and butlers to dog walkers, who work 24 hours a day.

However, even the rich can go bankrupt. An interview in which Barbara described her wardrobe in minute detail led to an investigation into her husband’s accounts, who was subsequently arrested. After the incident, almost all friends and acquaintances moved away. Her husband got out of prison in 2019. But, despite the fact that the spouses’ fortunes have declined significantly, today Barbara feels happier, surrounded by her beloved dogs, than in the company of her former socialite friends.

I knew the so-called “trophy wife” of one of the 10 richest men in China. She and her two children lived in Vancouver and saw the head of the family twice a month. The intense feeling of loneliness drove the woman into depression. All her “friends” tried to take advantage of her. She felt so dissatisfied with her own life that she became addicted to plastic surgery. © Evelyn Huang / Quora My mother is my stepfather’s famous “trophy wife”. They often go to a country club and spend most of their time at the lake or going on vacation. She receives from him a ‘week’ sufficient to satisfy all her needs. But there’s just one problem: they rarely see each other, as the man is almost always at parties or playing golf with his friends. He doesn’t let her work, so he can break up with her whenever he wants. Loneliness turned her into a futile person, who spends all day shopping, humiliating her adult children and waiting for her husband to pay her some attention (which she actually doesn’t really want). © tokieofrivia / Reddit I’m a “trophy wife” and I’m quite content with what I have, despite the fact that I frequently complain about my life to my friends. I don’t have to worry about spending and I can buy anything, like a Ferrari, without thinking about the price. I can also chat with interesting people. Many of them have achieved success thanks to your efforts, while my school friends are still wasting their time and wasting their lives. But there are also disadvantages. Many judge me for living behind my husband’s back, even though we are both happy together. I don’t feel like I really own anything, because everything is bought with his money. And, in a way, I am a hostage of the situation, because I am interested in maintaining the marriage. We don’t have children yet, and in the event of a divorce, I may not get anything. © winrooms / Reddit

Would you trade your current life for a golden cage for a few months? Because? In your opinion, what is the true secret of happiness?