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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Rupert Neate Wealth correspondent

Hermès billionaire plans to leave half of fortune to ex-gardener and cut ties with charity

Nicolas Puech Thierry Hermès
Nicolas Puech, 80, is a fifth-generation descendant of Thierry Hermès, who founded Hermès in 1837.
Nicolas Puech, 80, is a fifth-generation descendant of Thierry Hermès, who founded Hermès in 1837. Photograph: Bernard Bisson/JDD/SIPA/Shutterstock

A descendant of the Hermès luxury handbag empire is engulfed in a public battle with the charitable foundation he founded after reports that he planned to cut its funding and instead adopt his 51-year-old former gardener and bequeath him billions.

Nicolas Puech, 80, a secretive fifth-generation descendant of Thierry Hermès, who founded Hermès in 1837, has begun the legal process of formally adopting the unnamed former gardener and plans to leave him half of his €12bn (£10.3bn) fortune, according to Swiss media reports.

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