![THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET](https://cdn.magzter.com/1450523597/1726477567/articles/o-hnZnBfC1726491218853/THE-BILLIONAIRES-SECRET.jpg)
I.
A DIRTY BUSINESS
ON A THURSDAY AFTERNOON IN MID-NOVEMBER 2023, AN ELDERLY MAN WAS WALKING THROUGH HAMBURG’S OHLSDORF CEMETERY, THE WORLD’S FOURTH-LARGEST GRAVEYARD, TO VISIT THE BURIAL PLACE OF HIS FAVORITE SOCCER PLAYER WHEN HE NOTICED SOMETHING VERY WRONG. SOMEONE HAD SPRAYED “NAZI KAPITAL” (“NAZI FORTUNE”) ON THE KUEHNE FAMILY’S TOMBSTONE, IN RED AND BLACK, WHILE THE CRYPTIC TERM “M-AKTION” WAS TAGGED ON ALFRED KUEHNE’S TOMBSTONE.
These weren’t just any family tombs: The Kuehne dynasty is industrial royalty in Germany. Klaus-Michael Kuehne, the only child of Alfred and Mercedes Kuehne, is the country’s wealthiest person, with a fortune estimated at $44 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The 87-year-old billionaire owes his fortune to Kuehne + Nagel, the world’s largest freight forwarder, founded by Kuehne’s grandfather and Friedrich Nagel in 1890. Kuehne has used his wealth to build up a global transportation empire. He is also the largest shareholder of the German airline Lufthansa, shipping behemoth Hapag-Lloyd, chemicals distributor Brenntag, Hamburg soccer club HSV, and the company that owns North America’s Greyhound bus lines. In 2023 alone, according to Bloomberg, he stood to pocket $4.5 billion in dividends from his empire.
In the context of Germany’s discreet but clubby old money, where aristocratic and industrialist heirs mingle at hunting parties or go skiing in the Alps, Kuehne is a loner. Despite his billions, he remains outside Germany’s power circles and is only spotted occasionally at financier and merchant hangouts such as Hamburg’s Übersee-Club, a century-old private members establishment founded by the city’s Warburg banking dynasty.
This story is from the October 2024 edition of Vanity Fair US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2024 edition of Vanity Fair US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![Cinema VERITÉ Cinema VERITÉ](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12190/1968815/0RfZJFNUp1737457454371/CINEMA-VERIT.jpg)
Cinema VERITÉ
At Art Basel Paris, Miu Miu reaffirms its support of women in film
![A KILLER VIEW A KILLER VIEW](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12190/1968815/cnVuptpOw1737456268313/A-KILLER-VIEW.jpg)
A KILLER VIEW
When an heiress to the L.L. Bean fortune noticed that a grove of majestic oaks on her coastal Maine property had died, she cast her suspicions on her neighbors uphill, summer residents who wanted a better view of Camden Harbor. The legal fight that ensued became a town drama that roils to this day
![ATLAS SHRUGGED ATLAS SHRUGGED](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12190/1968815/WNWKOJ1k01737456895462/ATLAS-SHRUGGED.jpg)
ATLAS SHRUGGED
A brawny bodybuilder with a generous side: atypical Wall Street sage. But as CIO of Scott Minerd was an Guggenheim Partners, he oversaw billions for the firm and made millions for himself to him and His sudden death shocked spurred infighting over his $400 million estate even those closest
![Red Hot Red Hot](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12190/1968815/vADIuFXte1737447579868/RED-HOT.jpg)
Red Hot
There's no one in Hollywood-or anywhere else, probably-like NATASHA LYONNE. Her wry, wrenching work in Poker Face, His Three Daughters, and Russian Doll has brought an indie favorite into the spotlight
![The Maly Poppins of Mulholland Drive The Maly Poppins of Mulholland Drive](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12190/1968815/JB-SGkax91737451161182/THE-MALY-POPPINS-OF-MULHOLLAND-DRIVE.jpg)
The Maly Poppins of Mulholland Drive
When I was nine, Lara Flynn Boyle was my father's sweetheart- and my best friend
![THE SQUATTER OF POINT DUME THE SQUATTER OF POINT DUME](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12190/1968815/qfEHQjRBh1737450592152/THE-SQUATTER-OF-POINT-DUME.jpg)
THE SQUATTER OF POINT DUME
SURE, LET A NEIGHBOR USE THE GUEST ROOM FOR A FEW NIGHTS. WHAT COULD GO WRONG? A LOT, AS A SERIES OF UNSUSPECTING RESIDENTS LEARNED AFTER ONE WOMAN ALLEGEDLY EXPLOITED CALIFORNIA'S TENANCY LAWS TO TURN CASUAL STAYS INTO PROTRACTED EVICTION WARS IN AN EXCLUSIVE MALIBU ENCLAVE
![Girls, INTERRUPTED Girls, INTERRUPTED](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12190/1968815/PvBswPPTC1737444611331/GIRLS-INTERRUPTED.jpg)
Girls, INTERRUPTED
Nestled in the Berkshires, with a pedigree dating back to 1898, MISS HALL'S SCHOOL appears to be a cocoon of safety and formative tutelage for its students, all of them young women. But for decades, an alleged sexual predator operated on campus. Now alumnae are speaking out in hopes of holding their former teacher-and the school-accountable
![Coming HOMME Coming HOMME](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12190/1968815/nRsFFa6d11737442507149/COMING-HOMME.jpg)
Coming HOMME
ROBERT PATTINSON has been the face of Dior Homme for more than a decade. With a brand-new fragrance campaign and a leading role in Mickey 17, the actor takes a moment to reflect
![The Californians The Californians](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12190/1968815/V49kDnNg61737442901115/THE-CALIFORNIANS.jpg)
The Californians
Ensconced in their cozy Montecito mansion, Harry and Meghan are living the California dream, raising their own little prince and princess. By all accounts, the love is real. But five years after their break with the monarchy, their foray into moguldom has not always been a smooth ride
![Behind THE PODIUM Behind THE PODIUM](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12190/1968815/7x8B4jv8X1737442688172/BEHIND-THE-PODIUM.jpg)
Behind THE PODIUM
As President Biden's barrier-breaking press secretary leaves the White House, she considers the ups and downs of being a first