The story of the Onassis dynasty is a saga of dizzying success built on hard work, determination, and a touch of cunning. Aristotle Onassis himself, the patriarch of the clan, liked to fuel the myths surrounding his persona. He arrived in Buenos Aires from Greece with just a hundred dollars in his pocket and managed to become one of the most influential tycoons of his era. It’s no surprise that many details of his biography remain subjects of debate and shrouded in legend. His marriage to Athina Livanos gave him two children, Alexander and Christina, but ended in a highly publicized divorce in 1960 after the world learned of his passionate affair with opera diva Maria Callas.
Alexander was meant to inherit the vast empire. However, his life was tragically cut short in 1973 in a plane crash at the age of just 24. This tragedy forced Aristotle to begin preparing his daughter Christina to run the family business. Just two years later, in 1975, he passed away, and Christina shouldered the full weight of the family legacy.
For Christina, it was a time of unimaginable loss. Within two years, she lost her brother, her father, and her mother, who died in 1974 from a sleeping pill overdose. Inheriting the lionβs share of her fatherβs fortune (a portion went to the Alexander Foundation and the magnateβs last wife, Jacqueline Kennedy), she took charge of managing the assets with remarkable acumen and achieved significant success. Her life unfolded under the scrutiny of the entire worldβluxury mixed with personal drama. She married four times, and in her last marriage in 1985, she gave birth to a daughter named Athina. But family happiness was fleeting: in 1988, Christina was found dead in the bathroom of her home. The entire colossal fortune passed to her three-year-old daughter.
From a young age, Athina Onassis chose a path opposite to that of her ancestorsβshe always sought to lead a private and out-of-the-spotlight life. However, for the past six years, she has truly lived as a recluse. It seemed the heiress had vanished entirely from the society pages. But this chapter appears to have come to an end.
For these 72 months, Athina focused on herself, her closest circle, and her main passionβhorses. She deliberately avoided the parties and gatherings frequented by the global elite. But not long ago, she started to step back into the spotlight. First, she was seen at a dinner organized by the βFriends of Centre Pompidouβ in Paris, and later at an event during Paris Fashion Week.
These appearances, along with her participation in equestrian competitions, have been the only times she has been seen in public since June 2022. Throughout this period, she remained secluded at her estate in the Dutch countryside. Her large mansion, complete with a farm and stables, became a fortress shielding her from the outside world, the spotlight, and unwanted attention. The rider clearly prefers tranquility over social bustle, a preference she has demonstrated throughout her life. After her divorce from the Brazilian equestrian Γlvaro de Miranda Neto, with whom she was married for 11 years, almost nothing has been known about her personal life, except for a brief romance with Italian rider Alberto Zorzi a year later. It appears that Athena has once again found the desire to leave her cozy refuge for special occasions.
