Richard Lugner marries Cathy Schmitz at Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna
Austrian billionaire Richard Lugner married Playboy model Cathy Schmitz, who is 57 years his junior, at Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna.
Richard Lugner, 81, and Cathy Schmitz, 24, had a purple wedding over the weekend.
This was Richard Lugner’s fifth marriage and he didn’t seem entirely convinced about the union.
“Hopefully, this time it’s the right thing,” Richard Lugner said as he left with his new wife.
Richard Lugner married former model Cathy Schmitz at Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna (photo EPA)
No expense was spared for his fairytale bride whose big day at the stunning Schonbrunn Palace included a horse drawn carriage led by four Lipizzan horses.
There were court ushers in traditional costumes, endless bottles of champagne in crystal flutes and two white pigeons which the couple released into the air.
German-born Cathy Schmitz appeared to be straight out of an animated Disney movie.
Her gown comprised of a heavily jeweled strapless bustier with a floor length purple chiffon skirt.
“We did not intend to fall in love,” Cathy Schmitz said earlier this year in an interview with German news agency DPA.
“It just happened. Love knows no age.”
The Lugner family is well known in Viennese high society having made his fortune in the construction industry.
Richard Lugner drew global attention when he began inviting celebrities from around the world to escort him to the annual Vienna Opera Ball.
Among Richard Lugner’s guests over the years were Raquel Welch, Farrah Fawcett, Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian.
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