A billionaire has filed divorce proceedings against his elderly wife citing her 'dementia-like illness' as the reason he wants out of the marriage.
Porsche executive Wolfgang Porsche has filed for divorce from Claudia Porsche saying that the illness has led to changes in her personality.
Sources close to the family say the 74-year-old woman's illness has made living together impossible for her and her 79-year-old husband.
Wolfgang and Claudia have been together since 2007 and married in 2019. The Porsche family's assets have been estimated at 20 billion Euros (around £18 billion).
Claudia, who is a grandmother, has been living close to her daughter for almost two year, has four carers who look after her around the clock.
She has not been able to move independently for months and her mental awareness has undergone a rapid decline, the family says.
Media in Germany report that Wolfgang has been getting closer to his friend of 25 years, 59-year-old Gabriela Prinzessin zu Leiningen, in recent months.
Wolfgang Heinz Porsche is a German-Austrian shareholder and chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche Automobil Holding SE, as well as of Porsche AG.
The Stuttgart-born executive is the youngest son of former Porsche AG designer and Chief Executive Officer Ferdinand 'Ferry' Porsche and Dorothea Reitz.
His oldest brother is Ferdinand 'Butzi' Porsche, who designed the first Porsche 911.
He has four children, two to director and screenplay writer Susanne Bresser, whom he married in 1988 and divorced in 2008.
He lives in Zell am See, in Austria.
