Elie de Rothschild
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Baron Elie Robert de Rothschild (born 29 May 1917), son of Baron Robert Philippe de Rothschild and Nelly Beer, is a member of Rothschild family in France.
With his regiment, the Anciens Cuirassiers, he was captured by the Germans close to the Belgian border during WWII. He was taken to Nienberg near Hamburg but, when he was found out planning to escape, was taken to Colditz Castle, then to Luebeck, one of the toughest POW camps. There he was re-united with his brother, Alain, and both were fortunate in being treated as captured officers, thus avoiding the extermination camps.
While in Colditz, Elie had written to his childhood sweetheart, Liliane Fould-Springer, and asked her to marry him, which they did by proxy. Her parents thought her foolish to take on the Rothschild name with the Nazis in control of France.
After the war, Elie, Alain and their wives shared the Avenue de Marigny property. Elie, a would-be playboy, was a friend of Prince Aly Khan and knew Gianni Agnelli. However, he worked hard in the family banking business and also at Château Lafite-Rothschild, which wine experts have long considered to be one of the greatest vineyards. He is also a great collector of art and owns works by Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Dubuffet and Picasso.
Liliane was the family intellectual---very bright, a voracious reader, an exceptional designer and decorator. However, she was neither pretty nor attentive to her husband. Early in 1953 Liliane's sister died, followed by the death of her step-father and the collapse of her mother. For a year Liliane went into seclusion and would see no-one or do anything. In 1954, when Liliane was out of town, Elie was introduced to Pamela Harriman whose affair with Agnelli was over. According to Elie, "She was sweet, charming and pretty. I wanted to go to bed with her and I did." His relationship with Pamela was established.
Pamela's affaire with the unmarried Gianni Agnelli had been quite open, but now discretion was required; they never went out together in public. Elie adored her and many years later still regarded her the love of his life. However, when Liliane found out she was devastated. Forty years later she would still refer to Pamela only as "that woman".
[edit] References
- Reflected Glory:the Life of Pamela Churchill Harriman, Sally Bedel Smith, 1996. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-80950-8
