Twins joy for Povlsens less than year after Sri Lankan bomb tragedy
Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen and his wife Anne are celebrating the birth of twin girls - less than a year after they tragically lost three of their four children in the Sri Lankan bomb tragedy.
The twins - described by the couple as "two little miracles" - arrived safely in Denmark earlier today.
A statement from their private secretary, Kristine Mønster said: "On Wednesday 11th of March 2020, Anne and Anders Holch Povlsen became the parents of two healthy newborn girls, after a good pregnancy and a birth with no complications.
"The family greets these two little miracles with all their hearts. They are excited to get to know the girls and to welcome them as a life-affirming part of their family."
Mr Povlsen, who owns the retailer Bestseller, is said by Forbes to be worth £6.4bn.
He is the owner of Glenfeshie, Gaick and Kinrara estates.
The Povlsens were visiting Sri Lanka over the Easter holiday when the bombings left 290 people dead, including eight Britons, on April 21, last year.
Three days before the attacks Mr Povlsen's daughter Alma shared an Instagram photo of her siblings Astrid, Agnes and Alfred - calling them "three little bears" - in front of a swimming pool lined by palm trees.
The 47-year-old billionaire and his wife Anne lost Alfred (5), Agnes (12) and Alma, 15. Their youngest daughter, Astrid, (10), survived.
The family were on holiday at the Shangri La hotel in Colombo, one of those targeted during the Easter Sunday attacks.
The Povlsen family wrote an open letter thanking the people of Scotland for the words of comfort that “fortified” them after their devastating loss.
The open letter featured the initials of the Christian names of the Povlsen children, along with an image of three feathers falling from the sky.
Retail mogul Mr Povlsen - through his company Aviemore-based Wildland Ltd - owns 13 estates in Scotland covering a total of more than 220,000 acres. The acquisitions have cost more than £100m.
Denmark’s richest man hopes endangered animals – such as the red squirrel, pine marten, Scottish wildcat, capercaillie and black grouse – will thrive again as new woodlands across his estates begin to connect.
In addition, he wants to use his land to educate children about the importance of conservation and ‘restore long-derelict properties in innovative and always stylish ways’ to make the landscapes ‘accessible to ever greater numbers of visitors’.
Mr Povlsen said his love affair with Scotland began in the 1980s during a family holiday to the Highlands, where he spent a summer fly fishing with his younger brother, Niels.
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