An heiress to the multi-billion dollar Swarovski crystal empire has split with her husband after falling for a billionaire Red Bull tycoon, reports say.
Austrian Victoria Swarovski, 29, who is also a pop singer and television presenter, announced her separation from Werner Muerz, 46. They were married for six years.
It is understood that Victoria has fallen for Mark Mateschitz, 30, an Austrian billionaire whose father Dietrich ‘Didi’ Mateschitz co-founded energy drink behemoth Red Bull, which also owns multiple sports teams in Austria and Germany.
According to reports in Germany, the pair are understood to have gone on a date in January and have been close ever since. Austrian media reported that they were spotted together at the Hahnenkamm Races, hosted at the Kitzbuehel ski resort.
Neither of them have publicly confirmed or denied the rumours of a romance.
Austrian Victoria Swarovski, 29, who is also a pop singer and television presenter, announced her separation from Werner Muerz, 46. They were married for six years
It is understood that Victoria has fallen for Mark Mateschitz (pictured), 30, an Austrian billionaire whose father Dietrich ‘Didi’ Mateschitz co-founded energy drink behemoth Red Bull, which also owns multiple sports teams in Austria and Germany
While Victoria has been a pop star since 2009, she shot to fame through winning the ninth season of Austria’s RTL dance show Let’s Dance in 2016.
Two years later, she became the co-host of the show, and has also founded her own beauty brand. Her father Paul Swarovsk is a key shareholder in the crystal empire.
She and Muerz announced in a statement through their lawyers last week that they would be divorcing.
‘Victoria Swarovski and Werner Muerz have separated on friendly terms. We are asked to respect privacy and to refrain from further inquiries,’ they said.
Mateschitz meanwhile became Europe’s newest multi-billionaire after the death of his father Didi in 2022, aged 78.
Didi was the co founder of Red Bull and owned 49 percent of the company. At the time of his death, his net worth was estimated to be £23 billion.
The 49 percent share passed to Didi’s only son Mark, who was most recently estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of around £14 billion.
Reports have said he also inherited a number of luxury properties, from a Fijian island to Austrian castles, and an estate in London’s exclusive Knightsbridge.
He already owned his own beverage company – Thalheimer Heilwasser – for almost four years, which sources water from Austrian springs for its drinks.
Despite his privileged upbringing, reports have said he is down-to-earth, and understands the business that he has inherited on account of working in senior positions at Red Bull in the years before his father’s death.
As a result of his riches, he is said to be one of Europe’s most eligible bachelors.
As for his reported new flame Victoria, the some-time pop singer married Muerz – a property mogul in Germany and former banker – wearing a custom made wedding gown that cost more than $1 million.
While Victoria has been a pop star since 2009, she shot to fame through winning the ninth season of Austria’s RTL dance show Let’s Dance in 2016
Victoria married Muerz (pictured together) – a property mogul in Germany and former banker – wearing a custom made wedding gown that cost more than $1 million
The gown weighed over 100lbs, and its train was studded with 500,000 of her family’s world-famous Swarovski crystals, The Mirror reported.
The paid wed in the Italian city of Trieste, watched by 250 guests. She was led down the aisle by her father Paul, before hosting a reception at a hotel in Portopiccolo.
Mr Muerz’s is understood to have been friends with the Swarovskis since he was a child, and started dating his future bride when she was just 16.
Like Red Bull, Swarovski is an Austrian company, although it is much older. It was founded in 1895 (128 years ago) by Daniel Swarovski.