When Barbara Amiel was a young girl, she never imagined landing smack dab in the middle of the elite Manhattan social scene, but that’s exactly what her media tycoon husband offered. However, their world came crashing down due to legal troubles 11 years later, and, as a writer, she sought revenge in the only way she knew — going public with all the lies and deceit.
Passionate About The Written Word
Barbara Amiel was passionate about the written word, and she turned that eagerness into a successful career as a journalist. However, the road for the British-Canadian was long and arduous — and got her mixed up with the wrong people.
A Rocky Start
The product of a rocky childhood that saw a messy divorce between parents and her father’s suicide, Barbara channeled her curiosity into British journalism, covering topics like Middle East power dynamics. Then, in 1992 at age 52, her life changed completely.
Not Your Ordinary Husband
When Barbara was 52, she married a man named Conrad Black. Conrad, however, was no ordinary guy. He was a billionaire media tycoon who owned Hollinger International — which published The Daily Telegraph, Chicago Sun-Times, and more — and he welcomed Barbara into his lavish world of wealth and influence.
Welcoming The Wealth
Before she knew it, Barbara was suddenly thrust into a life filled with multiple mansions, exotic trips on private jets, and more money than she knew what do with. Plus, she fell into an elite social scene, spending time with the likes of Lynn Forester DeRothschild and Henry Kissinger.
A Surreal Experience
Barbara began attending the most gala events with Conrad at her side, and for a woman of her background, it was incredibly surreal. It seemed good fortune finally came careening down a fast track into her life.
Brushing Shoulders With Power
Barbara never even met a billionaire before Conrad, and now she was brushing shoulders with the most powerful people in the world on a weekly basis. It seemed every party she attended was more lavish than the last.
Struggling To Acclimate
Despite the echelon of society Barbara was living in, however, she admitted she never truly felt like she fit in with the other women in her circle, many of whom lived their entire lives with such wealth.
“I Just Didn’t Fit In”
“It’s strange,” she said. “So many people fixing my hair, doing my make-up and tending to me. The world I entered was full of women who had this sort of attention daily. I just didn’t fit in.”
A Lavish Life Crumbles
Although she often felt ostracized by the people who were supposed to be her friends, she held her head high and powered on. However, the entire world Conrad brought her into crumbled to pieces in 2013.
Becoming A Target
In 2013, Conrad’s multi-billion dollar company Hollinger International was suddenly throw into the spotlight by federal agents investigating substantial financial criminal activity. Barbara, who had nothing to do the company, was now a target alongside her husband.
The Fallout Begins
Conrad was found guilty on several charges, including fraud and obstruction of justice. He spent over three years behind bars, but that was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to the fallout.
Everyone Turns Their Backs
Everyone who once craved the attention of the power couple now completely froze them out, treating them as though they had a contagious disease. Even the papers Conrad owned turned their backs and bashed them.
Irreversible Damage
No longer was Barbara invited to events she spent many years attending. She was shunned by those closest to her, and even though President Donald Trump fully pardoned Conrad in 2019, the damage was done — she was going to have to fight for her reputation.
“Bubbles Of Silence”
Barbara described the sudden change in attitude while attending events: “Bubbles of silence excluded me as I walked past guests. I was an oddity, a kind of Elephant Man: I had grown tumors, and onlookers were nudging each other.”
Friends And Enemies
Barbara, in a book she published called Friends and Enemies: A Memoir, called herself and Conrad “doomed marionettes.” But, the book also shed a lot of unappreciated light on just how brutal that elite society she lived in was.
Taking Her Jabs
She didn’t hold anything back. She called famous philanthropist Merceded Bass “tediously opinionated and spiteful.” She jabbed at Nancy Kissinger, labeling her “patronizing and unkind.” She wrote, “In my experience the Sisterhood isn’t supportive. They let you down.”
An Unwanted Caricature
She also described herself as turning into a “caricature” of everyone around her, something she never wanted. Naturally, those mentioned in the book didn’t take kindly to her words, and some let her know.
“I Could Destroy Her”
“I did get one horrible email,” she said, “from someone who wasn’t even mentioned — the things I know about her, I could destroy her! But I won’t. I am privy to a lot of secrets but they are not mine to tell.”
“I Live Quietly These Days”
Even though people were ticked off, there wasn’t much they could do. Barbara said, “I can’t say I’ve been sent to social Siberia, but I live quietly these days.” She’s since replaced her highfalutin friends with beloved Hungarian Kuvasz dogs.
A New Kind Of Life
Even though she’s happy to live a quiet life with Conrad, surely those days of incredible banquets and famous faces bring on nostalgia. Curiously, she left one person-of-interest out of her memoir.
