The Queen may be the most popular woman in England but she’s actually not the richest lady in the country. And no, it’s not Harry Potter series writer J.K. Rowling either.
The title belongs to Kirsty Bertarelli, a 48-year-old billionaire who has led quite an interesting life.
Picture Perfect Life
For starters, Bertarelli and her businessman husband Ernesto have a joint net worth of $12.1 billion making them wealthier than Rowling and Queen Elizabeth II combined, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Not surprising, considering that Ernesto is a business magnate who has stakes in the biotechnology sector.
The couple reportedly met while on vacation in Italy. The Bertarellis became billionaires in 2007 when Ernesto sold his family’s pharmaceutical company to Merck for $14 billion.
Their multibillion-dollar fortune has allowed the couple and their three children to lead a picture-perfect lifestyle with their designer clothes, private jet, and even a chateau in Switzerland.
And that’s just scratching the surface of Bertarelli’s unbelievably fabulous life.
Pop Star Career
Believe it or not, the billionaire is also a pop star. She began her music career in 2009 when she was already in her late 30s with the release of her debut single ‘Don’t Say’.
Bertarelli followed this up with the launch of her first album ‘Elusive’ the next year. Although you may not be too familiar with her music, the singer-songwriter has accomplished some impressive feats during her decade-long career.
Her song ‘Green’, which talked about conservation, was actually picked by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as their anthem in celebration of its 50th year anniversary. Bertarelli even donated the earnings she made off the song to the WWF.
The billionaire musician continued to release singles and other collaborations during the years that followed. Her last album release was in 2014 with ‘Indigo Shores’.
Born into Wealth
Bertarelli has been leading a luxurious life way before she even became a billionaire though.
She was actually born into wealth with her family owning the major manufacturer Churchill China. That said you can probably already imagine the kind of upbringing Bertarelli, who was born Kirsty Roper, had.
As a young girl, she spent her time riding horses, writing poetry, and playing tennis. At 17, she set on to begin a modeling career.
And if that isn’t impressive enough, she was also crowned as Miss UK around this time. Now, that’s one accomplished young woman.