Doris Duke's jaw-dropping life was as extraordinary as her immense fortune. Crowned "the richest girl in the world" at the age of 12, she inherited staggering wealth from her tobacco mogul father at the height of the Roaring Twenties which would define her as the ultimate heiress.

Beyond her fortune, Duke pushed boundaries and became a daring war correspondent, savvy businesswoman, surfing pioneer, jazz musician, art collector, and environmentalist. Most impressive of all, she donated much of her fortune to good causes and has been described as the greatest female philanthropist of the 20th century. But from scandalous love affairs to a suspicious accident, endless controversy clouded her public image. Read on to delve into the life of this complex, enigmatic and mega-moneyed character. 

All dollar amounts in US dollars

Doris Duke was born on 22 November 1912 in New York City. The only child of James Buchanan "J B" Duke, founder of the American Tobacco Company, and socialite Nanaline Holt Inman, she was hailed by the press as "the million-dollar baby" and "probably the richest mite in humanity" thanks to the extreme wealth of her father. J B Duke effectively created the modern cigarette industry, made a second fortune in electricity generation, and bankrolled the university that bears his name.

Daddy's little duchess, Doris was doted on by her father, who lavished his daughter with affection. But her relationship with her mother, who reportedly much favoured her son from her first marriage, was strained from the start.

Duke's father went all out to complete his sumptuous Manhattan mansion, the most expensive on Fifth Avenue, in time for his daughter's birth. But much of her early childhood was spent at Duke Farms, the sprawling family estate in Hillsborough, New Jersey where she was protected by a team of private detectives and home-schooled.

Enhancing their already lavish lifestyle, the tobacco magnate acquired a mansion in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1915. A spectacular "summer cottage" called the Rough Point estate in Newport, Rhode Island was added to his real estate portfolio in 1922. That same year, 10-year-old Doris was enrolled at the exclusive Brearley School in Manhattan.

Doris developed a passion for travel at an early age. The heiress' wanderlust was cemented in June 1923 when she toured Europe with her mother.

Her father joined them in July, promising his daughter he would "do everything I can to give you the best time of your life." His devotion to his only child was unfailing and he even named his 80ft (25m) yacht and private Pullman railcar after her.

But tragedy struck when J B Duke died unexpectedly on 10 October 1925, leaving his adoring daughter bereft. While on his deathbed, he purportedly warned her to “trust no one”. She later confided in a friend that her father had told her men would only love her for her money and to be “very careful”. Duke's mother also instructed her to be intensely wary of others.

With her parents' warnings ever present in her mind, Duke approached friendship and romance with extreme caution. Her life was marred by relentless suspicion of almost everyone who crossed her path – often with good reason, given the legions of golddiggers she attracted.

J B Duke bequeathed his 12-year-old daughter the lion's share of his estate, valued in 1925 at $80 million, according to Duke University Libraries. One of the biggest fortunes in America at the time, it would be worth $1.4 billion (£1.1bn) today. As per the tobacco mogul's wishes, Duke would receive her inheritance in three instalments: on her 21st, 25th, and 30th birthdays.

The press had a field day reporting on the “richest girl in the world”, much to Doris Duke's dismay. Given her general wariness of people, she loathed the media attention and developed an obsession with privacy. Duke avoided photographers like the plague, rejected almost every interview request, and regularly travelled incognito to evade reporters. 

By contrast, Duke's mother had to make do with an annual allowance of $100,000, the equivalent of $1.8 million (£1.4m) a year today. However, she was also awarded life tenancy of the family estates and her husband's will was ambiguous regarding their ownership. Mrs Duke took control and sold the North Carolina mansion, later clashing with her daughter after revealing she planned to offload the three remaining properties.

Doris may have been shy and wary of people but was no shrinking violet. In 1927, at the age of just 14, she sensationally sued her mother for sole ownership of the real estate. She emerged victorious from the court battle, gaining full control of Rough Point (pictured), Duke Farms and the Manhattan mansion.

Duke graduated from school in 1930 and wanted to go to college to further her studies, but her mother had other ideas. Instead, Duke was whisked to England, where she was one of eight American debutantes presented before King George V and Queen Mary at Buckingham Palace.

A striking figure, Duke stood around six feet tall. But she hated standing out and had a lifelong insecurity about her height, seeing herself as gangly and awkward. Her low self-esteem, which would later manifest in a fixation on cosmetic and other elective surgeries, was allegedly exacerbated by her mother's relentless criticism.

After turning 18, Duke began to come out of her shell, desperate to break free of the social constraints her mother and high society had placed on her. Fun-loving, open-minded, and intellectually curious, she developed a passion for the performing arts. She eventually became an accomplished jazz pianist, gospel singer (she even took singing lessons with Aretha Franklin's father), and belly dancer. Duke also learned ballet and tap.

Later praised for “her wide-ranging intelligence, her multi-faceted interests and her inquiring mind”, Duke was academically gifted despite missing out on university and fluent in French, having learned the language from her childhood nanny Jenny Renaud.

In 1934, Duke turned 21 and received the first third of her inheritance. Immediately inundated with charitable requests, she promptly set up her own philanthropic organisation called Independent Aid.

According to Duke University Libraries, the charity supported causes close to her heart, including the welfare of women and children, education, social work and mental health, and early family planning efforts. Later in her life, Duke's philanthropy branched out into other areas, from supporting historically Black colleges to funding AIDS research and environmental projects.

In 1935, Duke shocked high society and defied her mother by marrying James Cromwell, a would-be politician 16 years her senior. After tying the knot at Duke's Manhattan mansion, the couple departed for a six-month honeymoon tour of the world, taking in India (where they met Gandhi), China, Japan, and numerous other countries. During the extended vacation, Duke became captivated by Islamic art, which she started collecting fervently.

Hawaii's O‘ahu was the tour's final destination. The couple planned to stay a month but were so enamoured with the island that they stayed an extra three. The following year, Duke dropped $100,000, around $2.3 million (£1.8m) today, on a 4.9-acre site at Kawalai near Honolulu and set about building her dream Hawaiian escape, which she christened Shangri La, after the mythical land of eternal youth.

Duke hired top architectural firm Wyeth and King to design the main mansion, which incorporates Islamic design elements. In 1938, she travelled to the Middle East to acquire art and furniture for the property, which was completed that same year.

She eventually assembled one of the world's largest private collections of Islamic art, comprising 4,500 pieces. The stunning collection was bequeathed to the nation, together with the mansion, which now serves as a museum.

Duke's marriage hit the rocks early on. Her husband, who would often badger her for money, wanted Duke to fund his 1940 campaign to become a New Jersey senator.

According to Vanity Fair, she did the opposite and helped ruin his political career by snubbing First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. She also hired private detectives to tail him and dredge up evidence of any affairs. But Duke was no angel herself...

With her husband often on the mainland and out of the picture, Duke befriended Hawaiian surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku (pictured). He introduced Doris to the sport, and she became the world's first competitive non-Hawaiian female surfer.

The pair are said to have had a passionate affair. Rumour has it Duke also had liaisons with Hollywood star Errol Flynn, British MP Alec Cunningham-Reid, and other men while she was married to Cromwell.

In 1940, tragedy struck when Duke gave birth to a daughter called Arden, who lived only 24 hours. Speculation over the father ran rampant, with Cromwell denying the baby was his.

Duke filed for divorce in 1943, a year after she received the final instalment of her inheritance. Cromwell disputed the petition, and the pair fought it out in the courts for five years. Cromwell ultimately settled for a payout of $350,000, which is $6.4 million (£5m) today. In the meantime, Duke had spread her wings.

With World War II raging, Shangri La was requisitioned for the war effort and Duke, keen to do more to support her country, signed up for the United Seamen's Service. In 1944, she travelled to Alexandria in Egypt and worked in a sailors' canteen, earning a dollar a year. Duke relished “doing something worthwhile, earning the right to be friends with a lot of swell, interesting people”.

In 1945, Duke worked briefly as an intrepid war correspondent. Following the end of the conflict, she decamped to Paris and landed a job writing for Harper's Bazaar magazine.

In 1947, Duke fell head over heels for Dominican playboy diplomat Porfirio Rubirosa and the couple got engaged. A legendary lover by all accounts, he's said to have seduced Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, and countless other beauties.

Burned by her first marriage and under pressure from the US government, which was concerned her wealth could be used for nefarious political purposes, Rubirosa signed a strict prenup before they wed that year. Despite that, she paid his ex-wife, a French actress, a million dollars to release him from the marriage and plied Rubirosa with expensive gifts, including sports cars, a converted B-52 bomber and a mansion in Paris.

In any case, the couple divorced around a year later after Duke found Rubirosa in bed with another of his exes. He went on to marry Duke's arch-rival, fellow heiress Barbara Hutton.

As Vanity Fair has noted, Duke never remarried and the men she became romantically involved with tended to be younger, creative types. These included jazz musician Joe Castro, who she met in 1950 (he's pictured to her right in this photo). Castro was 23 at the time and Duke was 38.

In 1953, Duke added another wow-factor home to her real estate portfolio: Falcon's Lair in Beverly Hills, which previously belonged to Rudolph Valentino, her childhood movie idol. She purchased the property after having tea there with its then-owner, film star Gloria Swanson.

During the 1950s, Duke cultivated a close friendship (and possible romantic relationship) with writer and farmer Louis Bromfield, who inspired her love of nature. Duke became one of the world's first environmentalists and extended her philanthropy to support eco-friendly causes.

She was also an ardent supporter of animal rights. However, she did own several exotic pets, including two camels called Princess and Baby, gifted by Saudi billionaire arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. Duke was also fond of fur coats, another of her many contradictions.

A distinguished horticulturalist, Duke was renowned for her green fingers, particularly when it came to growing orchids, and several varieties were named in her honour.

In 1958, she started an ambitious project at Duke Farms creating 11 indoor display gardens inspired by diverse regions around the world, and travelled the globe collecting specimens and ideas. Six years in the making, Duke Gardens opened to the public in 1964.

Also in 1958, Duke donated the Manhattan mansion she inherited from her father to New York University's Institute of Fine Arts.

Duke's mother passed away in 1962, leaving her with no close relatives. Despite their shaky relationship, her death dealt a blow to Doris, whose life seemed to unravel thereafter in many respects.

Her relationship with Castro broke down in 1964, with allegations of violence and infidelity on both sides. Duke is alleged to have come after him with a butcher's knife during one very heated argument. She did appear to have an extremely fiery temper; according to one of her biographers, Stephanie Mansfield, Duke was known to reach for “the nearest movable object” when she became angry and once threw a bottle of wine worth thousands of dollars.

However, the mother of all scandals broke in 1966 when Duke ran over and killed her close confidant, the interior designer Eduardo Tirella, outside the gates of her Rough Point estate in Newport. Duke claimed it was an accident. But many beg to differ, including true crime author Peter Lance, who has penned a book and Vanity Fair articles about the incident, the first of which was published in 2020.

Duke's former paperboy then came forward. He said he heard the pair arguing and described what appeared to be Duke intentionally running over her friend. Tirella reportedly planned to stop working for her, which could have caused Duke to snap. Tirella's death was deemed accidental, but rumours persisted that the wealthy heiress paid off Newport's police and ingratiated herself with the city's officials. In light of a new witness account, local police reopened the case in 2021 but closed it again five months later.

In 1968, Duke embarked on a comprehensive restoration of Newport's crumbling 17th- and 18th-century buildings, perhaps to earn favour with the local elite. In total, she saved 83 historic buildings.

Duke appointed her friend Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to head the board of the foundation directing the project. Duke wasn't short of famous acquaintances. Among her well-known friends were Elvis Presley, Albert Einstein, and Andy Warhol, along with several controversial figures, including Imelda Marcos, the shoe-loving wife of Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos (pictured here with her rich friend).

Duke's golden years were marked by increasingly eccentric and erratic behaviour. In 1987, she bought a Boeing 737-300 and, as part of the deal, was given the previously mentioned camels that she allowed to roam around the Rough Point estate.

In 1988, Duke raised eyebrows by posting $5 million bail ($13m/£10m today) for her disgraced friend Imelda Marcos, who was being prosecuted in a US court for corruption.

That same year, she adopted her 32-year-old friend and former Hare Krishna follower Chandi Heffner, convinced she was a reincarnation of her long-deceased daughter.

Heffner and her boyfriend, who worked as Duke's bodyguard, were showered with expensive gifts, including a million-dollar Hawaiian home. Heffner even introduced Duke to Bernard Lafferty, who she hired as her personal butler in 1987.

Lafferty, a charismatic figure, quickly became Duke's trusted confidant. However, suspicions arose about his motives. In 1990, Duke came down with a mystery illness, and Lafferty reportedly convinced the elderly heiress that Heffner and her boyfriend were trying to poison her. Horrified, Duke cut all ties with her "daughter", calling the adoption the biggest mistake she had ever made.

Lafferty gained control of Duke's affairs as her health started to decline. In 1992, he allegedly encouraged her to have a facelift. In early 1993 she underwent risky knee surgery, despite her increasing frailty. Duke's will changed multiple times and eventually, by 1993, Lafferty was appointed sole executor and put in charge of her charitable organisation. Not long after, he allegedly failed to call an ambulance when Duke was choking on some food.

Doris Duke died of a cardiac arrest at her LA home on 28 October 1993. Lafferty had her body cremated within 24 hours and scattered her ashes at sea. Suspicion fell on Lafferty, who, along with Duke's doctor, was accused of hastening her death with a morphine overdose. But no criminal charges were ever filed.

Lafferty was nonetheless challenged in a civil court. In 1996, he was forced to step down as executor and charity board chief, but he walked away with a fat payout. The 51-year-old, who purportedly had a serious drink and drug problem, was found dead that same year.

Duke left almost her entire fortune to charity. An astute businesswoman, she skillfully multiplied her inheritance and, after giving away millions during her lifetime, ended up bequeathing an estimated $1.2 billion, around $2.6 billion (£2bn) in 2024 money, to good causes. The Doris Duke Foundation was established in 1996 and supports the performing arts, medical research, the environment, and child wellbeing.

While her life was marked by extraordinary generosity and personal controversies, Duke's impact on the world through her charitable work endures.

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