£500k raid on home of Rothschild heiress as her children slept
KATE ROTHSCHILD, the banking heiress, is said to be devastated after burglars made off with half a million pounds worth of jewellery from her home.
Raiders entered the property in Barnes, southwest London, while her children were asleep and, after locating her bedroom, stole a large box containing all her valuables, including her engagement and wedding rings and various antique pieces betrothed to her by her family.
The 35-year-old ex-wife of environmentalist Ben Goldsmith discovered the break-in when she returned home from an evening out with her boyfriend, Paul Forkan, the entrepreneur.
After being unable to get into her bedroom, Mr Forkan climbed in through the window to discover that the raiders had locked the door from the inside before escaping. It was then that Ms Rothschild – a music producer – discovered her pink jewellery box was missing, although there was very little other sign of a break-in.
Among the items in the box were an antique diamond dragonfly brooch, a gold, ruby and diamond bracelet and the engagement and wedding rings from her marriage to Mr Goldsmith. The couple separated in 2013 after she began a relationship with Jay Electronica, the US rapper, with whom she had been working.
Mr Goldsmith, 37, the younger brother of Zac, the Tory MP, and son of Sir James, the late billionaire, said: “I have spoken to her a lot. She is really sad at the things that have been lost. She feels her personal space has been violated. But she is relieved no one is hurt. My sons Frank, 12, and ten-year-old Isaac were asleep, along with the babysitter, at the time. “The guy made away with a bunch of stuff that means a lot to my ex-wife, me and the children. They took every single thing of value that Kate has: her wedding ring, engagement ring, everything I gave her during our marriage, special things from when she was a teenager, things from her father and her grandmother.
“These are things that should have been passed on to our daughter, Iris, and to her daughter. I hope we get them back. I will pay a reward to anyone with useful information.” Ms Goldsmith was not at home yesterday and is understood to have gone away for a few days.
John Chick, who lives nearby, said: “I’ve lived here for 17 or 18 years and I’ve only known of one other break-in. Everyone around here has good security, good cameras, so it’s quite rare.” A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Police are investigating a burglary at an address in SW13. “The incident was reported to have taken place between the evening of April 18 and the morning of April 19. A quantity of jewellery was stolen. No arrests were made and inquiries continue.”