Heiress raided as children slept in house
RAIDERS stole jewels worth £500,000 from an heiress to the Rothschild banking fortune after climbing through her bedroom window while her children slept nearby.
The burglars scaled the wall of Kate Rothschild’s £4million house and made off with all her gems.
The haul included her wedding and engagement rings from her former marriage to financier and environmentalist Ben Goldsmith.
Miss Rothschild, 35, a music producer, was not in the house at the time of the raid on Wednesday evening last week.
When she returned home with her boyfriend, fashion entrepreneur Paul Forkan, she did not realise she had been burgled until she found she could not get into her bedroom, which had been locked from the inside by the intruders.
After Mr Forkan climbed through the bedroom window to unlock the door they discovered her jewels had been taken.
The burglars were so quiet they failed to disturb Miss Rothschild’s dog, or her children Frank, 12, and Isaac, ten, who were asleep with their babysitter at the six-bedroom house in Barnes, south-west London.
Among the stolen items were pieces belonging to her father Amschel, a banker who hanged himself in Paris in 1996 when she was 13. Also taken were an antique dragonfly brooch and a diamond engagement ring.
Her ex-husband told the Evening Standard: ‘She is really sad at the things that have been lost. She feels like her personal space has been violated.
‘The guy made away with a bunch of stuff that means a lot to my ex-wife, me and the children. That’s very sad, but it is a huge relief no one was hurt and I hope they catch the guy.’
Scotland Yard said: ‘Police are investigating a burglary in Barnes. A quantity of jewellery was stolen. There have been no arrests.’