Rupert Murdoch, 92, Gets Ready For Fifth Marriage To Ann Leslie Smith, 66

Rupert Murdoch, 92, is ready to settle down again – for the fifth time. The billionaire media mogul is set to marry Ann Lesley Smith, 66, a former police chaplain from California. The couple say their romance is a “gift from God.” This marks Smith’s third marriage. 

Just seven months after his divorce from Jerry Hall, Murdoch says that he and his fiancee are looking forward to “spending the second half of our lives together.”

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“In perspective, it’s not my first rodeo,” said Ann Lesley. “Getting near 70 means being in the last half. I waited for the right time. Friends are happy for me.”

Guests at the Murdoch-Smith wedding will include world leaders and other titans of the business world. He owns a portfolio of national and international newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal and New York Post in the U.S., The Sun and The Times in the U.K., plus the book publisher HarperCollins and Fox News.

Members of Murdoch’s large family will also be present: He has six children, including four daughters – Prudence, 64, Elisabeth, 54, Grace, 21, Chloe, 19. His oldest son Lachlan, 51, is his heir apparent and has been running his businesses with him since 2014. Son James, 50, resigned from the board of News Corp. in 2020 after “disagreements” about editorial content.

The marriage of the year will be held in a sunset ceremony at the Moraga vineyard in Bel Air which is owned by Murdoch; the couple first met there at a “wine mixer” in September 2022.

Murdoch is currently embroiled in a $1.6 billion lawsuit by Dominion Voting System against Fox News for knowing spreading lies about the company in order to satisfy its conservative audience. Murdoch has admitted under oath that he did not believe what his anchors were reporting.