Rich bitch profile of the week 07-21-2008

Like last week’s profiled rich bitch^{(No offense intended in using the term rich bitch)}, Anne Cox Chambers, this week’s rich bitch profile shines the spotlight on fellow octogenarian Liliane Bettencourt. Born in France in 1922 Liliane is the daughter of the late Eugène Schueller, the founder of cosmetics giant L’Oréal. One can assume that Mrs. Bettencourt grew up in a world of glamor and luxury.

Liliane Bettencourt is currently listed as the richest woman in the world by Forbes Magazine with an estimated net worth of $22.9 billion dollars. She comes in as the 17th richest person in the world and the second richest person in France.

According to record, Liliane Bettencourt inherited the L’Oréal fortune from her father in 1957. She was 35 years old at the time. She is currently L’Oréal’s principle shareholder controlling 27.5% of the company with Nestlé controlling 26.4% and the rest of the stock being publicly traded.

She has been widowed since November 2007, when her husband, French politician André Bettencourt passed away. She has a daughter, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers who is on L’Oréal’s board of directors.

Liliane Bettencourt is reportedly not much of a limelight seeker. She has lived a relatively private life in Neuilly-sur-Seine, an affluent suburb of Paris, France.