Inside the life of the world's richest woman: From Greek mythology to playing the piano, how L'Oreal heiress with a £78BILLION fortune has a grandfather accused of siding with Nazis - and is married to murdered rabbi's grandson

She's a recluse who prefers to spend her days playing her beloved grand piano and immersing herself in Greek mythology. 

But for the fourth year running, L'Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers has been crowned the richest woman in the world.

While there is very little that is flashy about the French beauty mogul, it's proving an impossible task for any billionaire to dethrone the 70-year-old whose fortune has skyrocketed to an estimated $99.5billion (£78.9billion).

Bettencourt Meyers - the granddaughter of L'Oreal founder Eugene Schueller - has generated much of her wealth from her 35 per cent stake in the French beauty giant which she owns with her husband Jean-Pierre Meyers and their two sons.

Jean-Pierre is the grandson Rabbi Robert Meyers who was murdered at Auschwitz in 1943 and the couple's children, Jean-Victor and Nicolas Meyers, were raised Jewish. 

Their marriage sparked controversy as her L'Oreal founding grandfather was put on trial for 'economic and political collaboration' with the Nazis during the Second World War - although he was later cleared by a post-war court.

Francoise Bettencourt Meyers has been crowned the richest woman in the world for the fourth year running

She may not flaunt her wealth, but this stunning mansion was one of her childhood homes 

Francoise Bettencourt Meyers pictured with her socialite mother Liliane and cabinet minister father Andre

Bettencourt Meyers - the granddaughter of L'Oreal founder Eugene Schueller - has generated much of her wealth from her 35 per cent stake in the French beauty giant which she owns with her husband Jean-Pierre Meyers (right) and their two sons

As L'Oreal's share price shot up 20 per cent this year, it was Bettencourt Meyers that came out on top as she enhanced her fortune by a staggering $19billion, according to the annual Forbes rich list.

The L'Oreal heiress is no stranger to the rich list, first making an appearance in 2018 when she was estimated to be worth $42.2billion following the death of her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, the year prior.

In the last six years, L'Oreal's share price has soared 150 per cent - paving the way for Bettencourt Meyers - who has served on L'Oreal's board of directors since 1997 - to double her fortune. 

Despite her vast wealth, the beauty tycoon does not indulge in the same glamorous lifestyle that her socialite mother and former cabinet minister father were famed for. 

Liliane - who inherited her father's wealth and was previously the richest woman in the world - and her husband Andre Bettencourt were known for throwing exclusive parties.

Bettencourt Meyers instead shuns the spotlight, choosing to live a quieter life where she is said to play piano for several hours a day. 

She owns two grand pianos, a Steinway and a Yamaha, which take pride of place in her elegant two-storey apartment in the wealthy Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Her vast wealth is also reflected in her million-dollar mansions and her car collection which is said to include a Bentley Continental GT and a Porsche 911 Cabriolet.

She began playing the piano as a child, having lessons from Yvonne Lefebure - a woman who counted the composers Faure and Ravel among her friends - at the exclusive Marymount School, in Paris, run by American nuns. 

Raised a strict Catholic, she is also a respected bible scholar and has written and published two books - a five-volume study of the Bible and a genealogy of the Greek gods.

In his 2017 book The Bettencourt Affair, journalist Tom Sancton reflects that she was never comfortable with her status as heiress and rich girl, and could not have been less like her enthusiastic socialite mother. But she always insisted they were once a very 'close-knit family'. 

Francoise's marriage caused controversy as her grandfather Eugene Schueller (pictured), a pharmacist who invented a hair dye called L'Oreal in 1908, was put on trial for 'economic and political collaboration' with the Nazis during the Second World War

Raised a strict Catholic, Francoise (pictured in 2011) is a respected bible scholar and has written books on topics ranging from Greek mythology to Jewish-Christian relations. Francoise also serves as the president of her family's philanthropic foundation, which supports French endeavours in the sciences and arts

She owns two grand pianos, a Steinway and a Yamaha, which take pride of place in her elegant two-storey apartment in the wealthy Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine (pictured)

Her vast wealth is also reflected in her million-dollar mansions and her car collection which is said to include a Bentley Continental GT (pictured) and a Porsche 911 Cabriolet

Pictured: Francoise's socialite mother Liliane Bettencourt and former Cabinet minister father Andre Bettencourt are seen in 1997. The pair were known for throwing exclusive parties

Pictured: Francoise Bettencourt Meyers (left) and mother Liliane Bettenourt leave the RITZ hotel on October 21, 2016 in Paris, France - a year before Liliane passed away making her daughter the richest woman in the world

Sancton's book quotes childhood friend Arielle Dombasle: 'Francoise doesn't like luxury. She likes her Labrador. She adores her children and she loves her husband.' 

She is also known for her charity, serving as the president of her family's philanthropic foundation, which supports French endeavours in the sciences and arts. She pledged £173 million to repair efforts after fire that ravaged Notre Dame cathedral in 2019.

But while she may not sing and dance about reigning over such a high-profile empire, Bettencourt Meyers could not avoid the headlines in the late-2000s when her inheritance became the subject of a sensational trial in France.

The trial culminated in a longtime family friend and celebrity photographer being being convicted and jailed for three years after manipulating her ailing mother to access her extraordinary fortune. 

Bettencourt Meyers alleged that François-Marie Banier had manipulated her mother out of more than $1billion in art, cash, real estate and other gifts.

On appeal, Banier received a four-year suspended sentence and was ordered to pay around $420,000 - but the trial sparked a public rift between the L'Oreal mother and daughter.

French photographer and author Francois-Marie Banier explaining his works to Liliane Bettencourt (left) at Hans Lange Museum in Krefeld, Germany. In 2016, Banier was eventually convicted of 'abuse of weakness' of Francoise's elderly billionaire mother. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison and ordered to pay 158 million euros in damages

'My daughter could have waited patiently for my death instead of doing all she can to precipitate it,' Liliane said in a TV interview. 

In 2011, a court appointed Bettencourt Meyers as her mother's legal guardian following the late heiress' Alzheimer's diagnosis. 

The case had far-reaching consequences in French politics. The tape recording made by her butler also suggested that Liliane and her financial advisor were avoiding paying taxes by keeping cash hidden away in Swiss bank accounts.

The tapes also allegedly captured a conversation between Liliane and Eric Woerth (then the French Minister of Labour) who was soliciting a job for his wife managing Bettencourt's wealth - all while acting as the country's budge minister and heading up a campaign to catch wealthy tax avoiders in the country.

Her mother also received a 30million euro tax rebate while Woerth was the French budget minister. The scandal eventually embroiled other French politicians, including President Nicolas Sarkozy, over an envelope of cash given towards his 2007 campaign.

Bettencourt Meyers married Jean-Pierre, a former director of Nestle, in 1984 but their marriage caused controversy because her grandfather was accused of siding with Nazis.

Bettencourt Meyers married Jean-Pierre (pictured together), a former director of Nestle, in 1984 but their marriage caused controversy because her grandfather was accused of siding with Nazis.

Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers pictured during a high-profile trial involving the manipulation of her ailing mother

In 2011, a court appointed Bettencourt Meyers as her mother's legal guardian following the late heiress' Alzheimer's diagnosis

Although Schueller was cleared of 'economic and political collaboration' with the Nazis, he is known to have given financial support and held meetings for the La Cagoule group - a violent French fascist-leaning, antisemitic and anti-communist group whose leader formed a political party Mouvement Social Révolutionnaire. 

During the Second World War, MSR in occupied France supported the Vichy collaboration with the conquerors from Nazi Germany.

After the war, he hired several members of the group as executives - a topic that was extensively researched by Israeli historian and author Michael Bar-Zohar in his book, Bitter Scent. 

Despite his history, the head office of the cosmetics company in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine is named Centre Eugène Schueller.

Schueller founded L'Oreal in 1909 as he wanted to manufacture and market a hair dye that he had invented. 

L'Oreal is now one of the world's largest cosmetics companies, with $44billion in revenue last year from three dozen brands, including Maybelline, Kiehl's and Lancôme.

Celebrities such as Cindy Crawford, Beyoncé and Penelope Cruz have helped advertised the brand, often using its slogan: 'Because I'm worth it'.