Athina Onassis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Athina Onassis
|
|
|---|---|
Athina Onassis (2013)
|
|
| Born |
Athina Hélène Roussel
29 January 1985 American Hospital of Paris, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
|
| Education | Lussy-sur-Morges |
| Occupation | Equestrian athlete Owner of AD Sport Horses |
| Spouse(s) |
Álvaro de Miranda Neto
(m. 2005; div. 2017) |
| Parent(s) | Thierry Roussel Christina Onassis |
Athina Hélène Onassis (born Athina Hélène Roussel on January 29, 1985) is a famous French-Greek equestrian. She is the only living descendant of Aristotle Onassis, a very rich Greek shipping businessman. Athina is also the only child of Aristotle's daughter, Christina Onassis.
She does not often appear in public.
Contents
Athina's Early Life and Family
Athina Onassis was born in Paris, France. Her mother was Christina Onassis (1950–1988), and her father was Thierry Roussel. Her father came from a family that owned a large medicine business.
Athina was baptized on the island of Skorpios. This island was owned by her family at that time. Her parents were married from 1984 to 1987. They later divorced.
When Athina was three years old, her mother, Christina Onassis, passed away in November 1988. After her mother's death, Athina was raised by her father and his partner, Marianne "Gaby" Landhage. Her father and Gaby later got married.
For her early schooling, Athina went to a school in Lussy-sur-Morges, Switzerland. This is where the Roussel family lived. She later studied in Brussels, Belgium, and passed her high school exams in 2003.
Athina has three half-siblings from her father's marriage to Gaby Landhage. Their names are Erik Christopher, Sandrine, and Johanna.
Athina as an Equestrian
Athina Onassis is a skilled show jumper. This is a sport where riders guide horses over obstacles. She competes in special events like the Global Champions Tour.
She started riding horses when she was a child. In 2001, she placed second in a competition in Spain. She chose to compete for Greece, representing the Avlona Riding Club in Athens. She uses the name Athina Onassis when she competes.
In November 2012, Athina had a fall from her horse and hurt her back. However, she still represented Greece in big competitions. She rode in the 2013 European Show Jumping Championships and the 2014 World Championships.
Athina also supports the Global Champions Tour. She helped start the Athina Onassis International Horse Show in 2007. This show jumping event first took place in Brazil. In 2014, it moved to Saint-Tropez, France.
Athina and her former husband used to own a business called AD Sport Horses. This company was in Fleurus, Belgium, and focused on breeding and training horses. In 2014, Athina bought a large property with a barn in Wellington, Florida. She sold this property in 2017.
Athina's Personal Life
Athina started dating Álvaro de Miranda Neto in March 2003. He is a professional show jumper from Brazil and has won two Olympic medals. Athina moved to São Paulo, Brazil, to be with him.
Miranda and Onassis got married on December 3, 2005. Many of the guests at their wedding were important people from Brazil or friends from the horse riding world. Athina's father and stepmother were not at the wedding. The couple reportedly asked their guests to donate to charity instead of giving gifts. After her marriage, Athina began using the name Athina Onassis.
In 2016, Athina and Miranda separated. They started divorce discussions soon after. The divorce was finalized in November 2017. After her divorce, Athina moved to Greece.
Athina's Inheritance
Athina Onassis is the main person to inherit her mother Christina's wealth. Christina had inherited 55% of Aristotle Onassis's fortune. The rest of Aristotle's money went to the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation. This foundation was created to honor Athina's uncle, Alexander Onassis, who passed away in 1973.
The exact amount of Athina's wealth is not fully known. She is often called a "billionaire heiress" in the news. One of the things she inherited was the island of Skorpios. This island was later sold to trusts connected with Ekaterina Rybolovleva for $153 million.
Managing the Onassis Fortune
Athina's mother, Christina, did not fully trust Athina's father, Thierry Roussel. Because of this, the family set up a group of people to manage the family's money. This group would control the money until Athina was old enough.
When Athina was a child, any money her father spent for her had to be approved by this group. This caused some disagreements.
In 1999, a court decided that Athina's inheritance should be managed by an auditing company in Switzerland. When she was 13, Athina said she did not like "anything Greek." In an interview, she later said that she blamed "all the problems" on the Onassis name. Her stepmother also said that Athina told her she would "burn all the Onassis money" if she could.
On her 18th birthday, Athina took control of her mother's inheritance. After her 21st birthday in 2006, her lawyers tried to make her the President of the Onassis Foundation. However, the board of the foundation said she was not qualified. They also said she was not an heir to Aristotle Onassis's estate. They pointed out that she had no connection to Greek culture, language, or experience. They also mentioned she had not gone to college or had work experience.
See also
In Spanish: Athina Roussel para niños
