Prudence MacLeod
Prudence MacLeod | |
|---|---|
| Born | Prudence Murdoch Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Philanthropist, media executive |
| Years active | 2010–2022 (board member at Times Newspapers Ltd) |
| Known for | Non-executive director at Times Newspapers Ltd; co-founder of the Macdoch Foundation |
Prudence MacLeod (born Murdoch; August 1958) is a philanthropist and media executive holding dual Australian-British nationality. As the eldest offspring of media magnate Rupert Murdoch, she held a non-executive directorship at Times Newspapers Ltd, a News Corporation subsidiary, from 2011 until 2022.
She is a co-founder of the Macdoch Foundation, which supports programs focused on environmental preservation, combating climate change, and enhancing community health. Additionally, she plays leadership roles in various charitable organizations.
As of , Prudence, alongside her half-siblings James and Elisabeth, has been engaged in legal proceedings in the United States contesting their father's efforts to modify the family trust. The proposed changes sought to guarantee that his eldest son, Lachlan, maintained control over News Corporation and Fox Corporation, instead of distributing benefits equally among all six children as initially established. The litigation was ongoing as of .
Early life and education
Prudence MacLeod was born in August 1958 in Adelaide, South Australia as the first child of Rupert Murdoch and his first spouse, Australian model Patricia Booker.
She resided in Adelaide until 1968 before relocating to London with her father and stepmother Anna Torv, following Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of the tabloid News of the World. After her parents' separation, her mother remarried and became socially prominent but often distanced herself from Prudence. Despite her desire to remain with her father, Prudence experienced a difficult relationship with her stepmother after the birth of half-siblings Lachlan, James, and Elisabeth.
Prudence attended a state school briefly in London prior to moving with her family to New York City in 1974. There, she enrolled at the Dalton School in Manhattan but found it challenging to assimilate among the affluent student body.
Career
After returning to London, MacLeod worked for a short period as a researcher and journalist at the News of the World tabloid. Since then, she has not participated in her father's enterprises. She was appointed to the board of The Times, owned by News Corp, serving from 14 December 2010 until stepping down on 3 March 2022. In contrast to her half-siblings Lachlan, James, and Elisabeth, she has demonstrated less engagement with the family business but retains equal ownership and voting privileges within the family trust governing News Corp and Fox News.
Philanthropy
Prudence MacLeod is listed as a director of the Lansdowne Foundation, established in December 2006. This foundation administers awards such as the PYT Lansdowne Scholarship and the Prudence MacLeod Prize, which provides a six-month studio residency in London for graduates from Sydney's National Art School.
She also created the Prudence Trust in the United Kingdom, which offers funding to small-scale organizations dedicated to youth mental health initiatives. In 2019, together with her husband Alasdair MacLeod—who chairs it—she co-founded the Macdoch Foundation. This foundation supports projects based in Australia and the United States that focus on environmental sustainability, climate change mitigation efforts, and community health improvement. The Lansdowne Trust is considered part of this Macdoch group.
The MacLeods serve as benefactors and life governors of the National Gallery of Australia, contributing A$3 million toward its new Pasifika Gallery, inaugurated in October 2023.
Relationship with Rupert Murdoch
In 1997, MacLeod had a disagreement with her father after he mentioned his "three children," sparking a conflict for which he later expressed regret. Two years later, in 1999, she gave an interview to The Sydney Morning Herald titled "the forgotten daughter," released on the same day as her half-brother Lachlan’s wedding, heightening family tensions. She has conveyed feelings of being an outsider relative to her half-siblings Lachlan, James, and Elisabeth, describing herself as less glamorous and preferring to remain out of the spotlight. Rupert Murdoch’s biographer Michael Wolff observed in 2008 that Prudence was "the only one of his children not directly competing for his business affections" and "the child who is least afraid of him."
Her mother, Patricia Maeder, passed away in Adelaide in 1998, with Rupert Murdoch photographed alongside Prudence at the funeral service.
Marriages
MacLeod married Crispin Odey, a London-based financier who later became a prominent hedge fund manager, in 1985. Their marriage lasted approximately 15 months.
Four years later, in 1989, she wed Scottish businessman Alasdair MacLeod, who had relocated to Sydney to work for Citibank. That same year, despite Prudence’s initial disapproval, he began working within Rupert Murdoch’s business empire. Alasdair held senior positions including general manager of Times Newspapers in London and CEO of Cumberland Newspapers in Sydney. Prudence MacLeod spent two decades working for News Corp across Australia (News Ltd) and internationally before departing as managing editor of Nationwide News in 2010 during company restructuring. Reports suggest a falling out with Chris Mitchell, editor-in-chief of The Australian.
Beginning in 2000, Alasdair shifted focus to managing the family farm in Australia and embraced regenerative agriculture practices. After leaving News Ltd, he assumed the role of executive chairman at MacDoch, a private investment firm with offices in Sydney and London that concentrates on significant Australian agricultural and farming technology investments. He also investigates how various forms of capital can contribute to climate change solutions.
Children
Prudence and Alasdair have three children: James, Angus, and Clementine—who are Rupert Murdoch’s eldest grandchildren. In 2015, James co-launched the podcast series Clippet, which offers brief audio news segments targeted at busy listeners aged 18 to 28.
Residence
An Australian citizen, Prudence resides in Sydney with her husband as of 2024. In 2014, the MacLeods acquired a Woollahra property for AUD 10.65 million; it was previously owned by radio host John Laws. After an unsuccessful attempt to sell this residence in 2020 following Prudence’s relocation to London, they eventually sold it in 2023 for A$17.5 million. The family also owns multiple rural properties across Australia, including Prudence’s home at their Cavan station near Yass; Alasdair’s Wilmot farm in New England; Paradise Creek Station near Inverell; Woodburn north of Walcha; and Morocco near Gunnedah.
Family trust dispute
In September 2024, Prudence joined her siblings James and Elisabeth Murdoch in contesting their father’s proposal to modify the family trust so that eldest son Lachlan retains sole control over News Corp and Fox Corp. This move would override the trust’s "irrevocable" terms that currently provide equal control among Rupert Murdoch’s six children. Rupert Murdoch seeks to maintain the companies’ conservative political stance, viewing his other children as too liberal.
The irrevocable family trust was established after Rupert and Anna Murdoch’s divorce in 1999 and holds the family’s 28.5% stake in News Corp. It grants equal voting rights only to children born before that date; those from Rupert’s third marriage have no voting privileges but do receive stock dividends. This dispute follows Rupert’s attempt in 2023 to alter the trust; a Nevada probate commissioner ruled he could amend it if acting in good faith for his heirs’ benefit.
Rupert contends that removing voting rights from some children protects Fox from financial harm and preserves its conservative editorial direction, which he believes safeguards commercial value. The disagreement has caused estrangement between the three siblings and their father; none attended his June 2024 wedding to his fifth wife, Elena Zhukova.
Net worth
| Year | Financial Review Rich List |
Forbes Australia's 50 Richest | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Net worth (A$) | Position | Net worth (US$) | |
| 2017 | Template:Nts | not featured | Template:Nts | not featured |
| 2018 | Template:Nts | not featured | Template:Nts | not featured |
| 2019 | Template:Nts Template:Gain | $3.10 billion Template:Gain | Template:Nts | not featured |
| 2020 | Template:Nts 
|
$2.24 billion
|
Template:Nts | not featured |
| 2021 | Template:Nts Template:Up | $2.80 billion Template:Up | ||
| 2022 | Template:Nts
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$2.60 billion
|
||
| 2023 | Template:Nts
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$2.57 billion
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||
| 2024 | Template:Nts Template:Up | $3.19 billion Template:Up | ||
| 2025 | Template:Nts
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$3.50 billion Template:Up | ||
| Legend | |
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| Icon | Meaning |
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No change compared to prior year |
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Increase relative to previous year |
| Template:Loss | Decline relative to previous year |