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Rupert Murdoch is the last of the great hopeless romantics, or is that just money talking?

The Australian mogul might be one of the most ruthless operators in the media but despite four divorces, he refuses to be jaded about love

Rupert Murdoch is engaged for a sixth time. Photograph: Elizabeth Lippman/The New York Times

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Brianna Parkins
Tue Mar 12 2024 - 06:00

With all the misery afflicting the world, it was nice to see headlines about a 93-year-old who never gave up on finding true love.

In the same way television news often closes on a cheery story, about, say a water skiing dog so we don’t get too bummed out about all the doom and gloom headlines, we should have been delighted to read about this grandfather’s plans to wed at a California vineyard. Reportedly owned by the soon-to-be groom. Because he also happens to be billionaire Rupert Murdoch.

Which is why the reactions are less “awwww” and more along the lines of the Washington Post’s headline; “Rupert Murdoch is engaged again. No, seriously.”

To some he’s the prince of darkness responsible for the decline of media standards, phone hacking, union busting, Fox News and other assorted evils. But to the rest of us, Rupert is just a hopeless romantic.

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The media mogul, like your divorced aunt who’s always sharing memes on Facebook in a cursive font, obviously believes you should never settle because, like your aunt’s latest profile photo says, “ladies, your true love could be just around the corner.”

Even though at 93, you could argue Murdoch has already been around a decent number of corners. In fact, how many corners does he think he might have left? At least a few.

According to Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman, Murdoch ended things with his last ex-wife by saying “Jerry, sadly I’ve decided to call an end to our marriage ... We have certainly had some good times, but I have much to do..”

Which was very brave given he was 91 and this was supermodel Jerry Hall he was speaking to about divorce. Via email.

But as US author bell hooks says, “you must have courage to love”, a quote our lover boy probably has on his phone lock screen. That and “Live, laugh, love”.

He really is an inspiration to us all in the way he’s refused to let past heartbreaks make him jaded about finding his soul mate. He’s had four ex-wives and at least one ex-fiancee, but dammit, he’s got a good feeling about number five.

Personally, if I got thrown off a horse four times, I would sell it assuming it wasn’t for me. But here Murdoch is climbing back in the saddle for the fifth time, with nothing but hope, determination and probably a serious prenuptial agreement to break his fall.

One that prevents exes from feeding real-life storylines to Succession, a clause that was reportedly in the divorce agreement with Hall. Lucky for his fiancee, former molecular biologist Elena Zhukova, the show finished up last year.

For her part, Zhukova, who was married to a Russian oligarch and has also counted both Roman Abramovich and a Greek shipping heir as sons-in-law, seems well able for the man dubbed a “climate change villain”.

But why get married at all? Why not just have a girlfriend? Maybe to a man born in the Great Depression that just doesn’t feel like a proper way to treat a lady.

Although according to his second wife, Anna Murdoch Mann, gallantry might not be his primary consideration, telling the Australian Women’s Weekly in 2021: “I think that Rupert’s affair with Wendi Deng – it’s not an original plot – was the end of the marriage.”

Although Anna allegedly had the last laugh, using her divorce settlement to ringfence the family trust from any successive wives or children having voting shares. Something, which according to reports, led to divorce number three from Deng.

Still, I hope it all works for that crazy 93-year-old kid in love.

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