Liliane Bettencourt was France's richest woman, having inherited the cosmetic company founded by her father in 1909. L'Oreal has been the world's leading company in the cosmetic trade for the last 30 years and Mme Bettencourt has been the richest woman in the world for much of that time.
A controversial figure for most of her life, Ms Bettencourt has been embroiled in a legal battle with her daughter foe several years, her family considering that her state of mind was being exploited by unscrupulous advisers, who syphoned of billions of euros. Courts eventually granted her daughter guardianship and the heiress died today aged 94.
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