Nicky Hilton is married to James Rothschild, an heir of the Rothschild family's banking fortune.David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
- The Rothschild family amassed their fortune from their powerful European banking dynasty.
- Lord Jacob Rothschild and his wife, Serena, had four children: Hannah, Beth, Emily, and Nat.
Having defined several eras of financial history and established banks across Europe, the Rothschild family's impact remains wide-reaching.
Following Lord Jacob Rothschild's death at the age of 87, which his foundation announced Monday, the focus now turns to the heirs to the family fortune, worth an estimated $1 billion, according to a 2023 report by the Sunday Times Rich List.
Here are some of the prominent Rothschild family members now at the helm of one of the world's most powerful financial dynasties.
Hannah Rothschild
Hannah Rothschild. David Levenson/Getty Images
Hannah Rothschild, 61, is Jacob Rothschild and Serena Dunn Rothschild's oldest child. The couple were married from 1961 until Serena's death in 2019.
Their daughter Hannah is the author of several books including the novels "House of Trelawney," "The Probability of Love," and a biography of her aunt, "The Baroness: The Search for Nica the Rebellious Rothschild."
She has also directed and produced documentaries such as "The Jazz Baroness" about her great aunt and "Hi Society: The Wonderful World of Nicky Haslam," according to her IMDb page.
She served as the chair of the board of trustees of the National Gallery, London, from 2015 to 2019, and was the first woman to hold the position, Artforum reported. She has chaired the board of Yad Hanadiv, the Rothschild family's philanthropic foundation in Israel, since 2018, according to the organization's official website.
Nathaniel "Nat" Rothschild
Nathaniel Rothschild. WILL OLIVER/AFP via Getty Images
The youngest child and only son of Jacob Rothschild and Serena Mary Dunn, Nat, 52, was co-chairman of the hedge fund Atticus Capital from 1996 until it ceased activity in 2009. He now lives in Switzerland a majority of the time and works as executive chairman of the board of directors at the electrical manufacturing company Volex.
He previously ran JNR Limited, an advisory business focused on emerging markets and natural resources transactions.
Forbes listed his net worth at $1 billion in 2012, but he is not included in Forbes' current billionaires ranking. Upon the death of his father, he became the 5th Baron Rothschild.
Hannah and Nat have two other siblings, Beth and Emily, who have not taken major roles in public life or Rothschild family institutions.
Lynn Forester de Rothschild
Lynn Forester de Rothschild. Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Fast Company
Lynn Forester de Rothschild, 69, was married to Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, Jacob Rothchild's cousin, from 2000 until his death in 2022.
She is the CEO of E.L. Rothschild, a holding company with investments in a range of media properties including the Economist Group.
She was a major fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in 2008 and gained notoriety for subsequently endorsing John McCain, Politico reported. She splits her time between New York and London.
David Mayer de Rothschild
David Mayer de Rothschild. David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Breitling
David, 45, is the youngest child of Jacob Rothschild's cousin, Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, and his second wife, Victoria Lou Schott.
An environmental activist and adventurer, he authored "The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook: 77 Essential Skills to Stop Climate Change — Or Live Through It" and sailed a boat, the Plastiki, made entirely of recycled plastic bottles and other reclaimed materials, from San Francisco to Sydney in 2009.
He launched The Lost Explorer, a sustainable clothing and lifestyle brand, in 2016, GQ reported. The Lost Explorer now mainly sells mezcal.
Nadine de Rothschild
Nadine de Rothschild. Franck CRUSIAUX/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
The Baronne Nadine de Rothschild, 91, is the widow of Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild, who was chairman and owner of the Edmond de Rothschild Group. When he died in 1997, he was thought to be the richest member of the family, The Washington Post reported at the time.
Nadine de Rothschild is a French author and actress who used the stage name Nadine Tallier, according to IMDb.
Ariane de Rothschild
Ariane de Rothschild. Felix Wong/South China Morning Post via Getty Images
Ariane, 58, was married to Edmond and Nadine Rothchild's son, Benjamin, from 1999 until his death in 2021 of a heart attack at age 57, Forbes reported.
Having worked for various Rothschild financial institutions since the early 2000s, she became CEO of Edmond de Rothschild Group in 2023, making her the first woman to run a Rothschild bank, the Financial Times reported.
Edouard Etienne Alphonse de Rothschild
Edouard de Rothschild. JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images
A member of the French wing of the family, Edouard, 66, is the son of Guy de Rothschild and French socialite Marie-Hélène Naila Stephanie Josina de Rothschild.
In 2004, he turned down a position at the French Rothschild & Cie bank to focus on pursuits outside of finance, The New York Times reported.
Edouard owns a share of the Lafite vineyard and is an avid horse enthusiast, having served as the president of France Galop from 2003 to 2011 and from 2015 onwards, BloodHorse reported. In 2005, he invested approximately $28 million in the left-wing Parisian newspaper Libération, and he became president of its board in 2010.
That same year, he moved to Israel, RFI reported. Members of the Rothschild family contributed to the founding of the state of Israel, buying land from Ottoman authorities and financing the construction of Israel's Knesset and Supreme Court buildings, according to Jewish Virtual Library.
David René James de Rothschild
David de Rothschild. Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images
Edouard's brother, David René James de Rothschild, served as chairman of Rothschild & Co Gestion from 2012 until 2018, when he moved on to hold the position of chairman of the supervisory board of Rothschild & Co. He became honorary chairman in 2023, according to Rothschild & Co's official website.
The 81-year-old also serves as president of the French Holocaust memorial organization, Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah.
Emma Georgina Rothschild
Emma Georgina Rothschild (left) and her husband Amartya Sen. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Emma Georgina Rothschild, 75, is the daughter of Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild — Jacob Rothschild's father — and his second wife, Teresa Georgina Rothschild.
She is an economic historian at Harvard and an honorary professor at Cambridge and Centre d'Histoire de Sciences Po in Paris, according to her biography on Harvard's official website. She also serves as a trustee to the Rothschild Archive, a London-based center for research into the family. She is married to the Nobel-prize winning economist Amartya Sen.
James Rothschild
James Rothschild (left) and Nicky Hilton Rothschild. Arturo Holmes/FilmMagic/Getty Images
James Rothschild, 38, is the grandson of Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild.
He is the founder and managing partner of the growth technology firm Tru Arrow Partners and the co-founder of the investment firm West Arrow, according to his bio on Rockefeller Capital Management's official website. He is also a trustee of Yad Hanadiv.
He married hotel heiress Nicky Hilton at Kensington Palace in 2015, People magazine reported.