93-Year-Old Rupert Murdoch Marries Elena Zhukova in Californian Vineyard Ceremony
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, 93, has married for the fifth time. He wed Elena Zhukova, a 67-year-old retired molecular biologist, in a small ceremony at his beautiful Californian vineyard.
The wedding happened at Murdoch’s Bel-Air estate on Saturday, adding another important event to the life of one of the world’s most powerful media figures.
Rupert Murdoch and Elena Zhukova’s relationship became public shortly after Murdoch’s brief engagement to Ann Lesley Smith ended in April 2023. Their romance quickly grew, leading to their engagement in March 2024. They met at a family gathering hosted by Murdoch’s third ex-wife, Wendi Deng, showing how closely connected Murdoch’s personal life is.
The wedding ceremony took place at Murdoch’s Moraga vineyard, with close family and friends in attendance, including important people from his personal and professional life. The beautiful estate, featuring Mediterranean-style buildings and large vineyards.
Zhukova wore a long-sleeved white dress and carried a bouquet of Lily of the Valley flowers, while Murdoch wore a dark suit with a yellow tie. The celebration was intimate and joyful, with official photos showing the couple’s happiness.
Murdoch’s personal life has often been as newsworthy as his professional one. His marriage to Zhukova is his fifth, following four previous marriages to Patricia Booker, Anna Mann, Wendi Deng, and Jerry Hall. Each relationship has been closely followed by the media, often linked to his business activities.
Patricia Booker was Murdoch’s first wife, an Australian flight attendant. They had a daughter named Prudence.
Anna Mann, a Scottish journalist, is the mother of three of Murdoch’s children: Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James. Their 1999 divorce was very costly.
Wendi Deng, a Chinese entrepreneur, is the mother of his two daughters, Grace and Chloe. They were married for 14 years before divorcing in 2013.
Jerry Hall, an American model and actress, married Murdoch in 2016, but they divorced in 2022.
His career has had its share of controversies. The biggest scandal was the UK phone-hacking incident with the News of the World.
It was found that the newspaper had illegally listened to the voicemails of several people, including a murdered schoolgirl. This led to the newspaper being shut down and caused serious legal and financial problems for Murdoch’s media empire.
As Rupert Murdoch and Elena Zhukova start their life together, they do so with Murdoch’s long history in the media industry behind them.
Murdoch, who is worth about $19.5 billion according to Forbes, is still a major player in global media. His marriage to Zhukova is not just a personal achievement but also shows his knack for constantly changing and adapting in both his personal and professional life.
Rupert has six kids from his past marriages, and each of them is important in their own way.
His oldest, Prudence, from his first marriage to Patricia Booker, stays out of the public eye. Then there’s Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James, his kids with Anna Mann. They’ve all been involved in the media world in different ways.
Lachlan, especially, has taken on big roles in News Corp, kind of like following in his dad’s footsteps. Grace and Chloe are his daughters with Wendi Deng. They’re still young but are growing up in the rich and influential world their dad created.