it's a rich-eat-rich world

The Dispute Between the Pincus Sons and the Princess Is Not About the Money

The two sons of Lionel Pincus, who grew up millionaires on a tony stretch of Park Avenue and have never been obligated to work in their lives, are trying to sell a spectacular Pierre penthouse under the feet of Princess Firyal of Jordan, for whom their father purchased the place. The princess โ€” who dated their father until he became mentally incapacitated in 2006, and still tends to him โ€” is busy trying to stop the sale and has been lavishly decorating the space. Although a settlement had been reached last year so that the princess could get the penthouse โ€” a trust of $85 million, $15 million in cash (with $10 million more once Pincus actually dies) โ€” the brothers now want to sell the apartment and give the proceeds to charity. The house is currently listed at $35ย million.

Letโ€™s be clear, though. According to the boys and the princess, this isnโ€™t about the cash involved. Listen to what their friends and lawyers have toย say:

โ€ข โ€œDo they wish Dad had never met this nice-looking woman who showed him things he had never experienced?โ€ a princess pal asked. โ€œSure, greedy little sons of a bitch.โ€ (This is a bit harsh, as the boysโ€™ mother โ€” Pincusโ€™s longtime wife โ€” died of cancer over a decade ago.)
โ€ข Money, in fact, is nothing to the princess, who simply said: โ€œWe, like many in our circle in New York, chose to live our life in our way and style.โ€
โ€ข โ€œThey think sheโ€™s a menace,โ€ said the sonsโ€™ attorney. โ€œThatโ€™s what the whole thing is about. Itโ€™s not about preserving money. Above all, they want their father to be left alone.โ€
โ€ข โ€œHe is a very generous man, as evidenced by the $2 to $3 million weddings he paid for,โ€ the princess said, alluding to the two sonsโ€™ lavish nuptial ceremonies.
โ€ข โ€œThey didnโ€™t have a problem with Firyal until they found out she was ripping off their dad,โ€ the sonsโ€™ lawyer said.
โ€ข โ€œOh,โ€ muttered a princess pal upon hearing this obvious allusion to the Astor trial. โ€œChoreographed like Nijinsky, myย friend.โ€

David Patrick Columbia, the social diarist, puts it best in the Observer story. โ€œWe play this middle-class card that we only play when itโ€™s convenient, and say sheโ€™s a money grubber. Thatโ€™s what everybodyโ€™s after! The sons, the lawyers, the PR people, everybody.โ€ Truer words were neverย said.

The Princess and the Pincuses [NYO]
Earlier: Lionel Pincusโ€™s $50 Million Duplex, and You
The Princess, the Pincus Billionaire, and the Pierreย Penthouse

The Dispute Between the Pincus Sons and the Princess Is Not About the Money