Rupert Murdoch Marries for the Fifth Time at 93
Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul who stepped down from the boards of Fox and News Corporation last year, married Elena Zhukova on Saturday at his Moraga vineyard estate in Bel Air, Los Angeles, according to The New York Times.
In a picturesque outdoor ceremony under clear skies, the 93-year-old Murdoch and 67-year-old Zhukova exchanged vows. Zhukova, holding a bouquet of white flowers, donned an elegant ankle-length, off-the-shoulder white dress reportedly designed by Emilia Wickstead. Murdoch wore a dark suit paired with sneakers. Notable attendees included Robert K. Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, and Robert Thomson, CEO of News Corp.
Their relationship reportedly began through Murdoch’s third wife, Wendi Deng, as noted by The Daily Mail last summer. Zhukova, a retired molecular biologist who moved to the US from Moscow in 1991, was previously married to billionaire energy investor Alexander Zhukov, according to The New York Times. Although the details of their courtship remain private, reports suggest they spent several weeks vacationing in the Mediterranean aboard the private yacht Christina O, which was once owned by Aristotle Onassis. Their engagement was confirmed in March.
This marriage follows Murdoch’s called-off engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, a retired dental hygienist and conservative radio host. Murdoch had proposed to Smith last spring, but the engagement ended after less than a month. Zhukova’s first marriage to British citizen Alexander Zhukov, which produced a daughter named Dasha Zhukova, an entrepreneur and socialite, lasted three years, The New York Times reported.
