When legendary Swiss Socialite and Tycoon Jocelyn Wildenstein was laid to rest this week in the most prestigious final resting place in Paris, it was an elegant affair befitting the stature of her society.
But while dozens of her nearest and dearest gathered at the famed Père Lachaise Cemetery, there were two notable absences: the former billionaire's only children were both missing from the congregation.
The pair, Alec JNR and Diane, both in their 40s, had decided to stay away after an ugly feud that, MailOnline, has been fermenting for more than a decade.
During the intimate ceremony, moving personal tributes were repeatedly paid to Wildenstein who was cited as a benefactor of the arts – but there was no mention of her status as a mother, nor mention of her daughter Diane or son Alec Jr.
Cremated without any of her children—whom she had with her art dealer ex-husband Alec Wildenstein—nor her three grandchildren have left a somber tone to the otherwise warm memories of the larger-than-life heir.
Afterwards, Jocelyn's partner of 22 years Lloyd Klein explained their absence: 'Everyone wonders why they weren't at the funeral… they were completely welcome. I sent them the details and I said I trust you will give the last respect to your mother. But there was no answer. '
Mr Klein, who says he has not spoken directly to Diane or Alec Jnr since their mother died, told MailOnline: 'I have never heard in my whole life, even if there is some sadness between the parents and the children, even if there was A separation, of children not attending their mother's funeral'
And, speaking at the city's fashionable Hôtel Plaza Athénée, the former fashion designer controversially added: 'It's all about money, of course… at the end of the day that's all it's ever about.'
Swiss socialite and tycoon Jocelyn Wildenstein (pictured in 2015) were laid to rest this week in the most prestigious final resting place in Paris
Jocelyn had two children with her ex-husband Alec Wildenstein, named Diane and Alec Jr
The “small and private” ceremony was held at Père Lachaise Cemetery, the largest cemetery in Paris
Can You Feel the Love Tonight – made famous by the Lion King – was played as the congregation surrounded her coffin and laid down pink roses
As the music played Lloyd Klein, the wooden box poignantly placed a kiss
The rift between the socialite and her now-adult children first began following her very public divorce from their father Alec Sr, a billionaire art dealer, in 1998.
She was introduced to Alec by Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, once said to be the richest man in the world, and they bonded over big game hunting before being forced to marry in Las Vegas in 1978.
But their marriage unraveled when she caught him in bed with a much younger Russian model and he responded by pulling a gun on her.
The colorful divorce that followed – he claimed she had been a high-class prostitute before they met, she claimed she spent $1 a month on expenses – made headlines around the world in the 1990s.
The lawsuit – and Jocelyn's astonishingly distorted features after plastic surgery – made the Wildensteins household names around the world.
It ended with Jocelyn receiving a $2 billion divorce settlement – as well as initially an annual sum of $100 million per year from the Wildenstein dynasty – known for their horse breeding and art business.
It was during the high-stakes divorce proceedings, Mr. Klein claims, that Alec Jr.'s grandfather, Daniel Wildenstein, pressured the then 17-year-old to cut ties with his mother—or face losing his inheritance .
The boy literally refused to comply, but the episode put a distance between him and his mother and the pair never fully reconnected, according to her life partner.
To this day, Alec Jr continues to run his mother's beloved ranch, the Ol Jogi Wildlife Conserve, in Kenya.
The fall out with Diane happened a few years later, after her father Alec Sr died in 2008, it is understood.
Jocelyn had two children named Diane and Alec Jr
Jocelyn Wildenstein's fiancé Lloyd Klein cut a solemn figure as he arrived for her funeral in Paris
Over the next few years, the regular payments Jocelyn had been receiving had stopped which Mr. Klein said caused awkwardness between her and Diane.
In a further blow to the mother-daughter relationship, Jocelyn has reportedly discovered that Diane had been friendly with the model with her father cheating on her mother.
The last time the mother met her adult daughter is believed to have been around 2010 and 2011. They had been estranged ever since.
And while Jocelyn met her eldest grandson, now in his 20s, she did not meet her daughter's second child or son before she died on New Year's Eve in the French capital.
The divorce at points from her estranged children left Joceyln “so upset and disappointed,” but by the end of her life she had managed to emotionally detach from the situation, her partner said.
“Jocelyn was no longer interested in seeing them,” Lloyd explained. 'She thought they were disgraceful, disrespectful and when we talked about them she said she didn't want to see them.'
'It's terrible. What monsters are those kids,” he added. 'How can you mean that with the mother who gave you life, she is her blood and flesh? She carried and cared for her for nine months. '
After Joceyln's death, it was initially planned – through Diane's lawyer – for the children to take her ashes to Kenya, to be scattered next to her parents.
But now Lloyd will hold the ashes in Paris, either deciding to bury them near the graves of Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison, in the famous cemetery or keeping them close to him.
A bouquet of flowers is brought into the crematorium prior to a service for the socialite
While Jocelyn spent the last years of her life between Paris, New York and Miami, Diane is believed to have lived in London, following in her late father's footsteps into horse breeding.
The career path of their son, Alec Jr, is more in line with Jocelyn's passions for hunting and wildlife and continues to run the Family Lodge in Kenya.
In 2016, he became embroiled in a tax evasion lawsuit alongside his uncle Guy Wildenstein. Both were accused of hiding the Wildenstein family fortune in an offshore tax shelter.
Alec Jr was given a two-year suspended prison sentence and fined €37,500.
Meanwhile, his uncle was found guilty in March 2024 and handed a four-year prison sentence, two of which were suspended and he was allowed to serve the other two at home.
Jocelyn's remaining assets have all been left to Mr. Klein, he says, including her life insurance policy, which the fashion designer says is worth “more than $100 million.”
“She didn't die broke,” he insists, contrary to reports that she was set to appear in Miami for unpaid debts and previously declared bankruptcy.
“She had a confidence; She had a plan and she had assets and she wasn't broke. '
The socialite (pictured in 1998) was nicknamed Catwoman because she reportedly had many facial facial procedures in the hopes of looking like a cat
Klein paid tribute to his partner of more than two decades, saying: “She was a very kind woman, a very loving person without an ounce of hatred.
'She was all love and of course her facial features made her look like a cat, you would think she would bite you but she was the opposite.
“She was extremely well educated and had a wide spectrum of interests. She was a pilot – commercial and private which was exceptional, and she was a very strong woman.
“She had to fight all these men in the Wildenstein clan and she was alone against them, but she won because she is a strong woman – so that's how I would like her to be remembered.”
Joceyln, throughout her life, was often referred to as 'Catwoman' as she was said to have had various cosmetic procedures to make herself resemble a lion or wild cat in Africa.
But today Mr Klein rubbished those claims and said her renowned feline features were natural.
“She never wanted to look like a cat,” he said. “She always had those feline features.
'She did have cat eyes and cheekbones and like any woman, when she wanted to get some work done to make her look younger, she had a lift, a few small changes and she did what she wanted to do.
'It's her face and when she looked in the mirror she was very happy. The stories about her wanting to look like a cat are nonsense – it's all fake.
'Why would she want to look like a cat? She loved wild animals; She had a cheetah for a pet that would lie on the couch because she loved the wild world. But she never wanted to look like a cat. '
Joceyln died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism on New Year's Eve in the French capital at the age of 79.
The 'small and private' ceremony was held at Père Lachaise Cemetery, the largest cemetery in Paris and the most visited in the world which overlooks the city of lights.
The service for Wildenstein, who described himself as an “art dealer,” is where several famous figures in the art world are laid to rest, including authors Oscar Wilde and Gertrude Stein and American Doors singer Jim Morrison.
The cemetery covers approximately 110 hectares in the center of the French capital and is also where Edith Piaf, Sarah Berhardt, Molière, Frederic Chopin and Colette rest.
About 35 people gathered for the service.
As mourners filed in, old videos of the socialite in glamorous outfits played on the television screens with the Out of Africa-themed song playing, in honor of Joceyln's time spent in Kenya.
The poignant ceremony ended with her partner since 2003 laying his hands on her coffin and kissing it as you can feel the love tonight – famous from the Lion King – played out.
He was then consoled by other mourners who laid pink roses on top.
Several personal readings were created by friends and family, including her makeup artist Alexis Stone.
He said: 'The world was and will forever be fascinated by her life and past, but Jocelyne was so looking forward to the future.'
MailOnline has attempted to contact Diane and Alec JNR.
