The Most Tragic Heiress in America: Barbara Hutton’s Seven Marriages and Lost Fortune

Barbara Hutton inherited an estimated $45 million to $50 million. She married seven times, lost her only child, and lived to see most of that fortune disappear. Born into the Woolworth fortune, Barbara entered society with the means to live almost anywhere. She married princes, a count, and Hollywood star Cary Grant; built extraordinary homes; and filled her life with jewels and famous guests. This film follows the choices and relationships behind the headlines, from her childhood loss to her bond with her son Lance. It traces how marriages, generosity, grand houses, and mounting bills changed a fortune that once seemed limitless. Gilded Ruin tells the true lives of history's most scandalous, extraordinary women — the legends they built, what the gilding hid, and what it cost them. 0:00 Seven Marriages, One Unbearable Loss 1:52 The Girl Behind the Woolworth Fortune 5:23 A Debut, a Prince, a Fortune 9:54 Lance and the Custody Battle 14:42 Cash and Cary 17:48 The Racing Prince 21:12 The Two-Month Marriage 24:56 The Tennis Champion 28:15 The Seventh Husband 30:50 Houses, Jewels, and Bills 36:27 Lance's Own Life 40:09 After Lance 43:30 What Was Left #WomenInHistory #OldMoney #BarbaraHutton