Latest news with #PalaceofVersailles
Miami Herald
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
‘Devastated': Florida's so-called Queen of Versailles shares news about her husband
The so-called Queen of Versailles has lost her king. Jackie Siegel announced the death of her husband David Siegel, 89, on Saturday. The couple infamously starred in a 2012 documentary about the struggle to build their Central Florida megamansion turned money pit. The 59-year-old former beauty queen wrote a tribute to her partner of 25 years on Instagram, alongside their wedding picture. David Siegel — the founder of Westgate Resorts, the world's largest privately held timeshare company — had reportedly been battling cancer. 'Together we raised eight incredible children,' read the post. 'His life and legacy live on through them all. To say we are devastated is an understatement.' Siegel went on to say she found comfort knowing that the businessman is now reunited with their daughter Victoria, who died of a drug overdose in June 2015 at the age of 18. 'The first thing he heard was 'Dad,' followed by a big hug,' Siegel wrote. 'That thought brings me so much peace.' The socialite and billionaire purchased the lakefront, 10-acre Windermere property in 2003 and started the construction process a year after. However, Siegel's company was hit by the Great Recession of 2008, and work on the 90,000 square foot behemoth known as the Palace of Versailles came to a crashing halt. The over-the-top project, which still wasn't finished upon Siegels' death, will include 14 bedrooms, five pools, a movie theater, bowling alley, video arcade, ballroom and an actual pub flown in from England. The vast eyesore, which was hit with $10 million in damages after Hurricane Ian in 2022, was also the topic of the reality show 'Queen of Versailles Reigns Again,' and made into a Broadway musical starring Kristin Chenoweth as Jackie. The last update came last month when Jackie gave her Insta followers a mini tour of the exterior at night. 'Very beautiful,' says the matriarch with the massive estate lit up behind her. 'There's a lot more to come.'
New York Times
26-03-2025
- New York Times
Art Expert Accused of Duping Prince and Palace of Versailles Stands Trial
Bill Pallot had an unparalleled passion for 18th-century French chairs that he turned into a lucrative career consulting with museums, galleries, collectors and the Palace of Versailles. He became a fixture in Parisian society and a celebrity in the art world, until he was felled by a former student who had become so steeped in antiques that he could — literally — taste a fake. At the height of his powers, Mr. Pallot's expertise and assurances of authenticity had helped convince French experts to designate multiple items as national treasures. He also used his renown to dupe deep-pocketed buyers, including Prince Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Thani of Qatar, into believing they were purchasing genuine pieces of royal history. He attested to the authenticity of seating said to have belonged to Marie Antoinette and to the mistress of Louis XV, Madame du Barry. People believed so fully in Mr. Pallot because almost 40 years ago he wrote what was long considered the book on the topic: 'The Art of the Chair in 18th Century France,' which includes a preface by his friend, the antique enthusiast and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Now, Mr. Pallot is perhaps best known for using his knowledge of art history to hoodwink some of the most esteemed antique experts and buyers. On Tuesday, after years of investigations by the French police, Mr. Pallot and five others said to be involved in a scheme to unload fakes onto unsuspecting buyers attended the first day of a criminal trial in Pontoise, near Paris, where they stand accused of trafficking in counterfeit antique furniture. In 2016, the French culture ministry issued a statement saying that the police were investigating the authenticity of pieces of furniture valued at 2.7 million euros (about $2.9 million), including two Louis XV chairs, purchased by the Palace of Versailles. That inquiry led to the conclusion they were not authentic and to the arrest of Mr. Pallot the same year. In 2017, the scandal also changed how the French authorities authenticated antiques. But doubts about Mr. Pallot had begun to surface years before, most notably for his fellow antique dealer and former student, Charles Hooreman, who shared his concerns with Mr. Pallot, as well as with buyers and the French authorities. In 2018, Mr. Hooreman told Vanity Fair that he had considered Mr. Pallot his 'hero' after attending his art history lectures at the Sorbonne. He later entered the same profession as his teacher, but he became suspicious of his mentor based on conversations with a buyer and about the quantity of antiques surfacing. As far back as 2012, Mr. Hooreman said he had seen two folding benches that were being touted as having belonged to Princess Louise Élisabeth, the eldest daughter of King Louis XV. He felt compelled to test them. 'I licked the chair and voilà. I could taste the fraud,' he told Vanity Fair. Familiar with the methods used by master craftsmen for restoration, he recognized a trick used by a woodworker whom Mr. Pallot favored, Bruno Desnoues. Mr. Desnoues used melted licorice to give new wood an old feel. Mr. Desnoues is also on trial now and has admitted his role in the scheme. Mr. Pallot himself has widely admitted complicity but denies there are as many fakes as Mr. Hooreman has claimed. An investigative judge in France noted in a previous proceeding that a smiling Mr. Pallot had told the court about the origins of the deception: He and Mr. Desnoues had become curious about whether they could make a good fake one day while the craftsman was restoring authentic antiques, according to Le Monde. The trial — part of a broader upheaval over the prevalence of forgeries in the worlds of art and antiques — is slated to continue into next month. While Mr. Pallot could face years in prison, he told Le Parisien ahead of the proceeding that he hopes to explain himself to the court in the hopes it will find mitigating circumstances.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
French art expert on trial over forged furniture at Versailles
A top French art expert went on trial on Tuesday accused of falsely claiming furniture he built to be from the 18th century that was then sold at high prices to buyers including the Palace of Versailles. After one of the biggest forgery scandals to rock the art world in recent years, 61-year-old expert Bill Pallot along with five other people as well as a prominent gallery are in the dock in Pontoise, a town north of Paris. Pallot and woodcarver Bruno Desnoues are accused of producing and selling chairs that were falsely claimed to be historic pieces that once adorned the rooms of the likes of Madame du Barry, the mistress of Louis XV, or Queen Marie-Antoinette. Customers duped by the pieces included the Palace of Versailles along with wealthy collectors including a Qatari prince. Continuing unnoticed for years, the scam caused an estimated 4.5 million euros ($4.9 million) in damage. When the scandal erupted in 2016, the ministry of culture swiftly ordered an audit of Versailles's acquisitions policy. Known for his distinctive long hair and three-piece suits, Pallot has been described by magazine Vanity Fair as "the world's leading expert on the works of 18th-century France", while Paris Match branded him "the Bernard Madoff of art". "Indeed, Versailles's decision to purchase the chairs hinged on Pallot's blessing," Vanity Fair said in 2018. "And based on Pallot's imprimatur, the government classified two of his fake lots as national treasures." During an investigation, Desnoues's wife described the antiques world her husband worked in as "a detestable environment, where antique dealers want to make money at any cost". More than 200,000 euros in cash were discovered during a search of Desnoues's home. "I'm into work and sculpture," he said. "I've never been passionate about money." The trial's opening day zeroed in on the case of a Portuguese couple whose lavish lifestyle had caught the attention of French authorities and led to the scam's unravelling. Investigators found the couple, who declared a monthly income of no more than 2,500 euros, possessed assets worth 1.2 million euros. In addition to their home in France, they owned several apartments in Portugal. The man turned out to be a handyman for Parisian art galleries and collaborated with Desnoues. amd-as/sbk
