Athina Onassis

Athina Onassis
Born	Athina Hélène Roussel (1985-01-29) January 29, 1985 Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Occupation(s)	Heiress, Equestrian
Years active	2001–present
Known for	Last living descendant of Aristotle Onassis, show jumping competitor

Athina Hélène Onassis (; originally named Athina Hélène Roussel (), born 29 January 1985) is a French-Greek heiress and accomplished equestrian. She is the only living descendant of the renowned Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis and the sole offspring of his daughter Christina Onassis.

She seldom appears in the public eye.

Early life, family background, and education

Born at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, Athina is the daughter of Christina Onassis (1950–1988) and her fourth spouse, Thierry Roussel, a French heir to a pharmaceutical fortune. Her baptism took place on the family-owned island of Skorpios. Her parents' marriage lasted from 1984 until their separation in 1987, which followed Roussel fathering two children with his mistress, Swedish model Marianne "Gaby" Landhage. Christina Onassis passed away from pulmonary edema in November 1988 when Athina was just three years old. Subsequently, she was brought up by Roussel and Landhage, whom he later wed.

Athina received her schooling in Lussy-sur-Morges, Switzerland, where her family lived. After completing a preparatory course in Brussels, Belgium, she successfully passed her baccalauréat examination in the summer of 2003.

She has three half-siblings through her father's relationship with Landhage: Erik Christopher Roussel (born 1985), Sandrine Roussel (born 1987), and Johanna Roussel (born 1991).

Equestrian career

Onassis competes as a show jumper at select Global Champions Tour competitions. Beginning horseback riding during childhood, she secured second place in Jerez, Spain, in 2001. Representing Greece under the name Athina Onassis for the Avlona Riding Club based in Athens, she overcame a spinal injury sustained in 2012 to participate in the 2013 European Show Jumping Championships and the 2014 World Championships.

As a patron of the Global Champions Tour, she founded the Athina Onassis International Horse Show in 2007. The event was originally hosted in São Paulo, then relocated to Rio de Janeiro before settling at Pampelonne beach in Saint-Tropez, France, starting in 2014. Alongside her former spouse, she co-managed AD Sport Horses, a Belgian-based breeding and training enterprise located in Fleurus.

In 2014, Onassis made a $12 million acquisition of a 5.6-acre estate with stables in Wellington, Florida—a prominent center for equestrian activities. She later sold this property in 2017 for $12.75 million.

Personal life

In March 2003, Onassis began a relationship with Brazilian professional showjumper and two-time Olympic medalist Álvaro de Miranda Neto and relocated to São Paulo. She invested $8.6 million to buy a 9,850 square-foot duplex with views over Ibirapuera Park.

The couple wed on 3 December 2005 during an extravagant ceremony attended primarily by Brazilian dignitaries and figures from the equestrian world; notably absent were her father and stepmother. Guests were asked to contribute to charitable causes instead of giving gifts. Following their marriage, she adopted the name Athina Onassis.

The pair legally separated in 2016 amid allegations of Miranda’s infidelity. Divorce proceedings commenced swiftly with Onassis retaining esteemed divorce attorney Robert Stephan Cohen. The case involved intricate legal matters handled by Antwerp courts where Onassis resided. Miranda challenged the prenuptial agreement and requested spousal support while custody disputes arose concerning horses owned jointly by the couple. The divorce was concluded in November 2017. Subsequently, Onassis moved back to Greece.

Wealth

Athina Onassis stands as the exclusive heir to Christina Onassis, who herself inherited 55% of the fortune amassed by Aristotle Onassis. The other 45%—after a $26 million allocation to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis—was bequeathed to the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation, created in memory of Athina's uncle Alexander, who tragically died in a plane accident in 1973. Although frequently described as a "billionaire heiress," the precise value of Athina's assets remains uncertain. Among her possessions was the island of Skorpios, which was subsequently sold to trusts affiliated with Ekaterina Rybolovleva for $153 million. Some sources estimate her net worth to be below $1 billion.

Conflicts concerning the Onassis inheritance

Due to Christina Onassis’s mistrust of Thierry Roussel, a board of trustees was appointed to manage the family’s wealth until Athina reached adulthood. This group—comprising Stelio Papadimitriou, Paul Ioannidis, Apostolos Zabelas, and Theodore Gabrielides—regulated expenditures, requiring Roussel to obtain their consent for any disbursements. These controls led to disputes, including threats from Roussel to relocate to France over tax issues.

In 1999, a court in Vaduz reassigned control of Athina’s inheritance to KPMG Fides, based in Lucerne, Switzerland. At age 13, Athina reportedly distanced herself from her Greek roots and associated the Onassis name with familial difficulties. Her stepmother disclosed that Athina once expressed a desire to destroy all the Onassis wealth if given the chance.

Upon reaching majority at 18, Athina assumed full control over her assets. Following her 21st birthday in 2006, her legal representatives attempted but failed to have her appointed President of the Onassis Foundation. The foundation’s board challenged her qualifications and questioned her status as an heir, citing her limited ties to Greek culture, education, and professional experience—even though she invoked her grandfather’s legacy in honor of Alexander Onassis.

Further reading

• Mantheakis, Alexis: "Athina Onassis in the Eye of the Storm" (e-book Amazon Kindle, 2012; paperback CreateSpace ). Also accessible in Greek ("Αθηνά στο Ματι του Κυκλώνα", Periplous Publications ), French ("Athena Onassis, Dans L'Oeil du Cyclone", Editions Favre), and Portuguese ("Athina Onassis, No Olho do Furacao", Alves, Brazil )
• Gage, Nicholas: "The Last Onassis," Vanity Fair (May 2005)
• Klein, Edward: "The Battle Over the Golden Child," Vanity Fair (November 1997)
• Martin, Thomas: The Richest Girl in the World: Athina Onassis Roussel: The Onassis Family Legacy, Ami Books Inc., 2003;
• Laurent Favre: Athina Veut Sacrifier Skorpios, L'Illustré (2 February 2005)
• Rovira, Ashley: "Athina Onassis in 38 Points" (Scribd, 18 December 2018)