take five

Rupert Murdoch Marries Elena Zhukova

Fifth time's the charm, isn't that what they say?
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Rupert Murdoch in London, June 22, 2023.Victoria Jones - PA Images/Getty Images

Love knows no numbers, including five (the number of times Rupert Murdoch has now been married) or 93 (the number of years old he is). The Australian media magnate wed retired molecular biologist Elena Zhukova Saturday at his Bel-Air, California vineyard, according to The Sun, which he owns.

News Corp.

Murdoch is the chairman emeritus of both News Corp, parent company of The Sun, and the Fox Corporation. He stepped into the emeritus role of both companies in November 2023, naming son Lachlan Murdoch as his successor and announcing that he would continue in an active role with both companies despite the new job title.

Murdoch and 67-year-old Zhukova began dating last summer and announced their engagement in March. In photos shared by the Sun, Zhukova wore an off-the-shoulder ivory fitted midi dress and white pumps, and Murdoch paired a dark suit and white shirt with a gold tie and black sneakers.

His first marriage was to Patricia Booker, from 1956 to 1967. They had one child, Prudence Murdoch. In 1967, he married Anna Maria Torv for what would become his longest marriage. They were together for 32 years, divorcing in 1999. They had three children together, all of whom have been involved in their father’s businesses: Lachlan, Elisabeth, and James. Wife No. 3 followed very soon after: Two weeks after finalizing his divorce from Torv, Murdoch secretly wed Wendi Deng, beginning their 14-year marriage. They had two daughters, Grace and Chloe. Then, from 2016 to 2022, Murdoch was married to Jerry Hall, the ex-partner of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

Before coupling up with Zhukova last summer, Murdoch was briefly engaged to Ann Lesley Smith. After Smith, Murdoch and Zhukova met through ex-wife No. 3, Deng, according to the New York Times.

Zhukova has a daughter from a previous marriage, Dasha Zhukova, who, until 2017, was married to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

According to The Sun, Zhukova and Murdoch wed in a “ceremony blessed with blue skies and warm sunshine.”

Representatives for Murdoch did not immediately respond to Vanity Fair's requests for comment.