Lachlan Murdoch's story is one of blood, money and power.
Lachlan Murdoch turns 53 today, his first birthday since taking over the family's media empire from his father Rupert in November. And if he finds himself in a contemplative state of mind, how might he reflect upon the great balance sheet of life?
Families are complex. Children can disappoint parents, and vice versa. Siblings compete, antagonise one another and fall out. It's just that when it comes to the Murdochs the stakes are extraordinarily high and the whole world is watching.Since Lachlan was a child, there's been an expectation that one of Rupert and Anna's children would take over the family business, just as Rupert had done following the death of his father Keith in 1952.
That unhappy possibility was certainly a concern of Anna's. In 1987, when the children were still in their teens, she wrote her second novel, Family Business, which touched on the thorny issue of succession within a family media company. Rupert Murdoch with his wife Anna Murdoch and their children Lachlan, James Murdoch and Elisabeth at their home in the early 80s in New York City.A little over a decade later, when she and Rupert divorced, that concern remained front of mind. According to journalist David Leser, who landed an exclusive interview with Anna two years after the divorce, she had two main concerns for her children.
It's a work of fiction, obviously, and those who know the Murdochs are quick to point out that they carry themselves with far more decorum than the members of Succession's Roy family, whose frailties and predilections are drawn in lurid detail. Elisabeth and James Murdoch were once close to their father, Rupert, but disagreement over the family trust has split the family apart.Eric Beecher recalls visiting the Murdoch household when they were in their teens. "It just struck me that a family that was so abnormal in so many ways in terms of its power and its wealth could be such a normal family behind closed doors."
Prudence has never shown much interest in the family business, although she is capable of making her presence felt. In 1999 she threw a very public tantrum after reading a story in which Rupert referred to his "three children". She contacted a journalist from rival media company Fairfax to say how hurt she was, with the resulting story appearing on the front page of The Sydney Morning Herald on the morning of Lachlan's wedding to Sarah O'Hare.
Lachlan Murdoch James Murdoch Elisabeth Murdoch Succession Anna Murdoch Inheritance News Corp Fox News Media Murdoch Family
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