FRANCE, PARIS: Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld's cat, received $1.5 million in inheritance from the late designer, who died in 2019 at the age of 85. However, it's unclear exactly how the feline will access the enormous inheritance.
Choupette is currently wealthier than the majority of people on Earth. She may very well be eating the most expensive bowl of kibble in her Lucy Balu x Choupette designer dishes and sleeping only on the softest of beds. Her Instagram reveals that she flies on magnificent private jets and travels in elegance in a $250 Lucy Balu x Choupette or a $2,000 Louis Vuitton bag. The ultra-wealthy are increasingly known to leave millions to their cherished pets in order for them to continue living affluent lifestyles after their owners die. However, the process of leaving large sums of money to a pet is tricky.
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Is Choupette eligible to inherit funds she got in Karl Lagerfeld's will?
Choupette, Lagerfeld's adored cat, is one of many beneficiaries of his will. But whether Choupette can make the inheritance feasible for her or not, the simple response is no, she can't. Pets are not entitled to inherit anything because they are viewed as property in France, where Choupette resides, as well as in the US and the UK.
"In France, you cannot name a pet as a beneficiary. In order for a beneficiary to receive an inheritance, it has to be a physical person or a foundation," Valerie Duane-Dray, an international inheritance lawyer, told CBS News in 2019. However, in Germany, where Lagerfeld was born, one may leave money behind for an animal.
Furthermore, there are still many different methods to leave money behind to make sure a pet is taken care of. Although it's not clear which approach Lagerfeld went with. One of the most common practices is to leave the funds to the new caregiver. An animal can also be handed to a specific person in a will. The second could've been Lagerfeld establishing a foundation whose only goal is to take care of Choupette.
'She has her own little fortune'
But let's not forget that Choupette has her own means of support, including modeling jobs, partnerships with businesses like Lucy Balu, being the subject of two books, and a variety of other things, making her a wealthy cat. Lagerfeld previously said, "She has her own little fortune. She is an heiress," according to DailyMail.
Lagerfeld added, "If something happens to me, the person who will take care of it will not be in misery. She's a rich girl!" Choupette has continued to live a privileged life ever after Lagerfeld's death, while constantly posting condolences to her father.
Choupette stated she had been invited to walk the red carpet in "tribute to Daddy" as the 2023 Met Gala was held in honor of her father's creations and fashion career, but she preferred to a more private experience. "We pay tribute to my Daddy every day since his parting and we are very moved to see one more day dedicated to him," she wrote.
