10 Wealthiest Families in the World

7. Liliane Bettencourt and Family (France) – 39 points

Known as the richest woman in Europe, Liliane Bettencourt and her family is worth $42.7 billion. Her father Eugene Eugène Schueller founded L’Oreal in 1907. Bettencourt is no longer managing the cosmetics empire as she is currently suffering from mixed dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The 93-year-old widow has relinquished her famous beauty line to her daughter Françoise Bettencourt Meyers and grandchildren. Her 25-year-old grandson Jean-Victor Meyers took her place in the company’s board.

Bettencourt and her daughter made headlines when the mother and daughter got into multiple legal battles. In 2007, Françoise sued François-Marie Banier, a French writer and society photographer, for “abus de faiblesse” (i.e. the exploitation of a physical or psychological weakness for personal gain). She claimed that Banier was taking advantage of her mom’s condition. When it was proven that he was conning Bettencourt, the mother and daughter reconciled and Banier was removed from her will.