Bettencourt rows over society snapper

Liliane Bettencourt, the L'Oreal heiress and the world’s richest woman, has become the subject of a legal action brought by her daughter, Francoise, who is concerned that she has made a large slice of her £20.5bn fortune over to a society photographer.

Bettencourt, 86, a renowned philanthropist, is reported to have funded a number of life insurance policies worth nearly €1bn for 61-year-old Francois-Marie Banier (pictured). This has resulted in Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, her only daughter, attempting to take her mother to court because she feels her great age has made her vulnerable to "abuse". The case is currently being considered by France's public prosecutor.

Bettencourt Meyers, 55, made her complaint almost a year ago, but details have only now emerged in the French press. An investigative website, Bakchich.info, reported that police had discreetly interviewed both Bettencourt and Banier, who is said to have become her de facto adopted son.

A confidante of Bettencourt's daughter told the Journal du Dimanche: "She [Bettencourt Meyers] is not looking for any money, but is afraid, quite simply, that her mother, at her advanced age, is about to fritter away her fortune."

However, when questioned by police, her mother, a formidable businesswomen who still attends L'Oreal board meetings, said that she was "sponsoring" Banier and that she could spend her money as she saw fit.

In addition to taking snaps, Banier is also a playwright, painter and novelist. His famous friends are said to include Princess Caroline of Monaco and Johnny Depp, who said that his photos were "the only honest pictures that have ever been taken of me". ·