Woolworth's heiress Barbara Hutton was blessed with a fortune but her life nonetheless was tragic from start to finish, including a lifelong search for love.
She was just four years old when she suddenly lost her mother, Edna Woolworth Hutton. She then embarked on a nomadic childhood, shuffled between relatives and boarding schools as her grieving father withdrew from raising her; her sad circumstances earned her the nickname "Poor Little Rich Girl."
Perhaps looking for stability, Barbara, who famously inherited about $1 billion in today's money from her family's estate by the time she was 21, embarked on a number of ill-fated marriages, making her the Elizabeth Taylor of her day. These star-crossed unions were not just short-lived — they also took a major toll on her fortune.
Her estate dwindled from $1 billion at its peak down to just $3,500 by the time of her death in 1979. And while she certainly indulged in lavish spending, ranging from properties around the world to jewels like Marie Antoinette's pearls, her seven husbands, who included aristocrats, playboys and princes, also took their pieces of the pie.
© Bettmann Archive"I won't say my husbands thought only of money," the heiress once said, "but it has a certain fascination for some of them."
The exception, though, was Cary Grant, a gallant leading man best known for his roles in films like North by Northwest and The Philadelphia Story. A multi-millionaire in his own right, Cary famously wanted nothing to do with Barbara's money and held the honor of being the husband the heiress "loved most."
A life marred by heartbreak: Inside Barbara Hutton's 7 tragic marriages
But who were the dashing men who swept Barbara off her feet, and dipped into her bank accounts, from her first marriage to a Georgian prince in 1933, to her seventh union, a Laotian artist turned "royal" who she divorced in 1966? Here is a look back at Barbara Hutton's seven marriages and the men who helped drain her fortune.
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© Getty ImagesA beautiful scene inside the Russian Orthodox Church in Paris, following the June 22, 1933 religious wedding of the Woolworth heiress and Prince Alexis Mdivani of Georgia. Father of the bride, Mr. Franklin Hutton, is in the background
Husband #1: Prince Alexis Mdivani and a lavish Paris wedding overshadowed by a quick divorce
Her first marriage, in 1933, was to Alexis Mdivani, a Georgian prince; Barbara's father was not in favor of the romance and sent her on a round-the-world-trip in the hopes it would break the love spell. The tactic didn't work, though, and the Prince and his 20-year-old bride married in Paris in an Orthodox wedding service in the Russian Cathedral, "decorated magnificently with white lilies and rhododendrons," as described by The New York Times.
A "rapturously happy" Barbara wore a "sparkling diamond tiara and splendid ivory satin gown and old ivory lace veil" for the ceremony; around 800 guests were inside the church, while a crowd of several thousand gathered outside. A reception at the Ritz Hotel was the crown jewel of the day.
Despite the lavish festivities, the whirlwind romance wasn't meant to last — Prince Mdivani spent freely on jewelry and polo ponies before a 1935 divorce, just two years after the wedding.
Several months after the split, Prince Mdivani died in a car crash in Spain. In a New York Times article dated August 2, 1935, his courtship and subsequent marriage to the heiress were described as "among the most publicized and photographed in modern times." The report also confirmed that "when their marriage broke up the Prince was reported to have received a large 'settlement' from his estranged wife. The estimates of this varied from an outright gift of $1,000,000 to an assured income of $50,000 a year for life."
"I won't say my husbands thought only of money, but it has a certain fascination for some of them"
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© Getty ImagesThe department store heiress and her husband the count in 1935
Husband #2: Count Curt Haugwitz-Reventlow — a turbulent union that cost $1.5M
Just 24 hours after that divorce, she embarked on a union with a Danish aristocrat, Count Curt Haugwitz-Reventlow, father of Barbara's only child, Lance Reventlow. After tying the knot in Reno, Nevada on May 14, 1935, that marriage, too, was doomed — and expensive.
The countess suffered physical and emotional abuse during the marriage; the couple split in 1938 and finally divorced in 1941 with Barbara gaining custody of their only son. As detailed in the Washington Post: "That marriage lasted six years and reportedly cost her $1,500,000."
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© Bettmann ArchiveThe July 1942 wedding of Barbara Hutton and Cary Grant. Mademoiselle Tocquet, Hutton's governess, stands on the right with the bride and groom
Husband #3: Hollywood legend Cary Grant — the only spouse who refused her money
Arguably, Barbara's most famous husband was her third, Hollywood's silver screen heartthrob Cary Grant, whom she married in 1942. According to the New York Times report on the wedding, they tied the knot in "a mountain setting at the home of Mr. Grant's agent, Frank Vincent, at Lake Arrowhead."
Three years later, a New York Times article about the divorce proceedings, dated Aug. 31, 1945, gave insight into the reasons behind their high profile split. The heiress said the actor's conduct made her "ill and nervous" and alleged "mental cruelty". For example, she testified that, "On more than one occasion, when I gave dinner parties he would not come downstairs but would have dinner in bed. When he did come down he obviously was not amused.” His behavior, she said, led her to "require services of a doctor."
In the same NY Times article, it is reported that the "couple have signed an agreement whereby each keeps his or her separate property" and "releases each other from any debt obligations that might have been incurred".
Despite the fact that he earned the nickname "Cash and Carry" in the press because of the relationship, he would be the only husband who didn't take any money from the heiress when they split. She also once called him "the husband I loved most."
Cary defended his ex-wife in later interviews, once saying:"It was not her fault that she was born rich."
Her seven husbands took millions in account-draining divorces, but silver screen legend Cary Grant was the only one who didn't take a dime.
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© ullstein bild via Getty ImagesBarbara and her fourth husband, Lithuanian Prince Igor Troubetzky, pictured during the early 1950s
Husband #4: Prince Igor Troubetzkoy and the heartbreak that led to tragedy
After divorcing Grant, she said she wasn't planning on ever remarrying because "you can't go on being a fool forever." However, that vow was one she didn't keep for long.
Royalty was a specialty for Barbara, who again married who she hoped was her Prince Charming: French-Russian race car driver Prince Igor Troubetzkoy, the 34-year-old son of Prince Nicholas Troubetzkoy.
Wed from 1947 to 1951, it was Igor who filed for divorce from his famous wife. The heiress, who had struggled with an eating disorder and drug abuse, later attempted suicide in her heartbreak.
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© Getty ImagesDominican diplomat and socialite Porfirio Rubirosa kisses the heiress's hand in Paris, in December 30, 1953
Husband #5: Porfirio Rubirosa and the notorious 53-day marriage
Unfortunately, better luck in love was not on the cards. Long before Britney Spears and Kim Kardashian made headlines for short marriages, Barbara, then 41, took her vows with Dominican Republic diplomat Porfirio Rubirosa in what would be her briefest union: just 53 days. The 1953 wedding, attended by her son Lance, then 17, also merged the couple's finances.
Nonetheless, the New York Times reports the fourth-time groom as saying: "In my country …her money belongs to her and mine to me. I don't need her money. I have my own."
The lightning-fast marriage, which ended quickly when it became clear Porfirio wasn't ready to give up his playboy ways, did still reportedly end up costing her a chunk of her fortune, including an estate, private jet and more gifts amounting to millions.
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© Getty ImagesHer sixth husband, German tennis player Baron Gottfried von Cramm looks joyous after their wedding in Versailles, November 9, 1955
Husband #6: Baron Gottfried von Cramm and a secret Versailles wedding
From 1955 to 1959, Barbara was married to Baron Gottfried von Cramm, who was also a long-time friend. Barbara and the previously-married 46-year-old German professional tennis player, who was known to have gay relationships as well, held their secret ceremony in Versailles, with a formal reception held at the Ritz Hotel in Paris.
Their eventual divorce, caused by the baron's inability to help his dear wife through her troubles, was amicable and "by mutual agreement".
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© Bettmann ArchiveBarbara Hutton and the prince in Hawaii
Husband #7: Prince Pierre Raymond Doan Vinh na Champassak and a final heartbreak
She may have been wishing for lucky husband #7, but it wasn't meant to be. Barbara's seventh and final marriage, from 1964 to 1966, was to a man the heiress literally turned into a Prince. Prince Pierre Raymond Doan Vinh na Champassak, a Laotian artist, only acquired the rank when Hutton paid a sum of money to the Kingdom of Laos to secure an officially recognized noble title.
Financial and personal strain led to their split, which also cost her a pretty penny — she ended up selling her Romanov emerald tiara and stones to Van Cleef & Arpels to help finance the divorce.
Despite her seven walks down the aisle, fate dictated that Barbara would see her sunset years in solitude. A solitary figure at the end of her life, she also endured the loss of her only son, Lance, who was killed in a 1972 light plane crash near Aspen, Colorado.
The 1970s saw her health and finances further decline. An "ailing recluse" according to the Washington Post, Barbara died of a heart attack on May 11, 1979 while living in a penthouse suite at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
