Jacob Rothschild's Death Ignites Succession battle

The death of British banking tycoon Jacob Rothschild could trigger a “Succession”-style battle between his heirs for his vast real estate and investment empire.

Lord Rothschild, who died Monday at age 87, founded London-based RIT Capital Management in 1961, which remains one of the UK’s largest investment trusts and was the head of the British wing of the fabled banking dynasty that dates back to the 18th Century.

With a family fortune estimated at $1 billion, according to The Sunday Times’ 2023 Rich List, naming the next Rothschild leader is being treated as seriously as the accession to the throne in a monarchy, according to This is Money.

Lord Jacob Rothschild 8 Lord Jacob Rothschild, the British banking mogul, died on Monday age 87. His passing has sparked succession talks between his heirs, which includes his four children.

Rothschild, who was said to have advised Queen Elizabeth II on financial matters, had four children with his wife of more than 50 years, Serena Mary Dunn, who died in 2019.

The youngest of those children, and only son, is 52-year-old Nathaniel “Nat” Rothschild, who was seen as the obvious next-in-line to the throne, the UK publication This is Monday reported.

Like his father, Nat was known for moving effortlessly in the world of high finance, per This is Money, having led investment advisory firm JNR Limited, coal-production giant Bumi Plc and Wall Street hedge fund Atticus Capital before it shuttered in 2009.

However, the elder Rothschild was known to have a distaste for his heir apparent’s playboy lifestyle and rebellious streak, including when he eloped with socialite Annabelle Neilson in 1994 in Las Vegas.

Family tensions were strained over the marriage, which only lasted three years.

Nat, who now lives in Switzerland, then infamously refused to invite his father to his second wedding to model Loretta Basey in 2016.