“I thought we had a wonderful,happy marriage. Obviously,we didn’t,” the media mogul’s second wife – mother of Elisabeth,Lachlan and James – said after their 31-year marriage ended.
Prudence MacLeod,Elisabeth Murdoch and James Murdoch have spoken out after the multibillion-dollar settlement that ended the long-running family dispute.
The middle-aged trio – especially James and Elisabeth – don’t possess the obscurity gene,having been members of arguably the most talked about family outside the British royals.
Power within the Murdoch empire has been transferred,but through inheritance,not merit. Will this business ever shift from feudalism to capitalism?
While Murdoch snr’s anointed heir is likely to stick to the same course,the media giant must brace for shifting consumer habits and economic headwinds.
Though Prudence and Liz are Rupert Murdoch’s eldest children,their gender meant they were never considered genuine heirs to the throne.
Dual-class shareholding structures are the antithesis of shareholder democracy – more of a corporate version of a gerrymander. But to get rid of them,you need a shareholder vote.
With a secret family civil war ongoing,Lachlan Murdoch is already putting his stamp on his father’s media empire that’s coming to terms with digital disruption.
Depending on the legal outcome,the ruling could fundamentally shift the direction of an expansive media network and reshape the US political landscape for years to come.
I interviewed Anna Murdoch after her marriage to Rupert ended. Now,23 years later,her fears about succession tearing the family apart look remarkably prescient.