Early Life
Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, Athina is the only child of Christina Onassis (1950–1988) and her fourth husband, Thierry Roussel, a French pharmaceutical heir and brother of Christine Hélène, the current duchess of Luynes by her marriage with Jean d'Albert, 12th duc de Luynes. Prior to her December 2005 marriage, her legal name was Athina Roussel. However, upon her marriage to Alvaro Alfonso de Miranda Neto, she took the name "Athina de Miranda," and soon afterwards legally added the Onassis name. In equestrian events, she is usually listed as "Athina Onassis de Miranda," "Athina de Miranda," or "Athina Onassis Miranda."
She was born 12 years after the death of her uncle Alexander, 11 years after the death of grandmother Tina, almost exactly a decade after the death of grandfather Aristotle, and was just three years old when mother Christina died. After her mother's death, she was raised by her father and his second wife, Marianne "Gaby" Landhage, a Swedish model who had been Roussel's longtime mistress and by whom he already had two children, born during Roussel's marriage to Christina.
For her early education, she attended a school in Lussy-sur-Morges (Switzerland), where the Roussels lived in a five-bedroom villa. Following a preparatory course in Brussels, she passed her baccalauréat exam in the summer of 2003.
Roussel has three half-siblings:
- Erik Christopher Roussel (born July 1985)
- Sandrine Roussel (born May 1987)
- Johanna Roussel (born July 1991)
Read more about this topic: Athina Onassis Roussel
Famous quotes related to early life:
“... business training in early life should not be regarded solely as insurance against destitution in the case of an emergency. For from business experience women can gain, too, knowledge of the world and of human beings, which should be of immeasurable value to their marriage careers. Self-discipline, co-operation, adaptability, efficiency, economic management,—if she learns these in her business life she is liable for many less heartbreaks and disappointments in her married life.”
—Hortense Odlum (1892–?)