When Alexandre de Rothschild took over the helm of the prestigious bank founded by his father, David, in the spring of 2018, he had only graduated from a modest business school. But his perfect upbringing made him a natural extension of his father – highly regarded in the business world – and of a name that conveys both a certain prestige and the darkest fantasies in business circles. He also knew he'd establish his credibility by immediately resolving a serious issue: the conflict that had plagued his family for three years.

At the time, relations between the French and Swiss branches of the famous family, born in 18^th-century Europe, had deteriorated. On the Swiss side, Benjamin, born in 1963 (and who passed away in 2021), lacked the polished veneer of his French cousins, David and Alexandre, and often broke with tradition. His mother, Nadine, a former actress who became a baroness when she married Edmond de Rothschild (1926-1997), had written etiquette guides and a booklet entitled Réussir l’Education de Nos Enfants ("Successfully Educating Our Children," 2009). But Benjamin didn't seem to respect any conventions. In 2007, he was even taken into police custody after pointing a laser at a policewoman stationed outside the presidential palace from his Paris mansion near the Elysée Palace. In 2015, worn down by his addictions, he handed over control of the group he had inherited, one of Switzerland's largest banks, to his wife Ariane.

Ariane de Rothschild is far more "disciplined" than her husband. The first woman to head a Rothschild institution, she decided to assert her authority by suing her French cousin David for "unfair competition," after filing a complaint for "misuse of the family heritage." This "family heritage" is none other than the Rothschild name. In her view, it was not possible for two competing banks, one Swiss and the other French, to share the same name.

In reality, this battle over the use of the family name conceals deeper wounds. The antagonism between the two branches goes back to the previous generation: David's father (Alexandre's grandfather), the highly sophisticated Baron Guy de Rothschild, made no secret of his contempt for his cousin Edmond, driving him into exile in Switzerland to found his own bank. In the next generation, David, known for his diplomatic skills, was no more successful with Benjamin and Ariane, and the conflict degenerated into an all-out war.

In his large office on Rue de Messine (8^th arrondissement of Paris), dressed in a dark London-style suit like bankers the world over, his wavy hair slicked back and wearing a benevolent smile, Alexandre de Rothschild hadn't forgotten the incident that threw him into the lion's den, as the business world watched to see how the "son of David" would fare. "The situation was very tense between my father and Ariane," recalled the young heir. "I took over from him on May 17, 2018, and by May 19, I went to see her in Geneva. I suggested a different method: lock ourselves in a room and only come out once we've reached an agreement, as we do in business deals." Both parties agreed to meet again two weeks later with their advisors to finalize an agreement. "With me, there was no emotion," continued Alexandre. "It only took 15 minutes. We agreed to add 'and Co.' to our name, and we severed our financial ties by unwinding our cross-shareholdings."

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