THE TWISTED LOVE STORY OF JOSE AND LADDY BETTY

A 95-year-old diamond heiress and her much younger genderfluid spouse became social media stars. Was theirs a feelgood romance for the agesor something far darker?

- Alice Hines

JOSÉ CASTELO BRANCO had been wearing the same Balmain leggings for two weeks. Anyone who knows knows this to be a scandal. The spouse of a diamond heiress and a Kardashian-level star in Portugal, José always lived for a certain level of luxury. Traveling from New York to Lisbon for what was supposed to be a short trip, José brought the usual 13 Louis Vuitton suitcases and paid thousands of dollars in excess baggage fees.

But when José and I met up this May in the Portuguese capital, it was in a small apartment on a suburban street, and circumstances did not allow for such standards of presentation. Betty Grafstein, an elderly British aristocrat and José's wife of nearly 30 years, had accused José of physical and psychological abuse. Portuguese authorities were investigating. The couple's shared wardrobe and jewelry collection were now the subject of a marital dispute.

José was effectively couch surfing at the apartment of a loyal friend and down to a single outfit-the same one José had worn to jail, minus a Birkin bag, sold to help pay legal fees.

José's problems started a month earlier, on April 20, 2024, when Betty ended up in the hospital after a fall. According to Betty's statement to doctors treating her for a fractured femur and an injured wrist, José had intentionally pushed her.

The hospital made an official complaint to authorities. José was arrested and spent the night in jail. Paparazzi swarmed outside José's cell window. How was José doing? "Lindamente." (Beautifully.) On paper, beauty was the one thing José and Betty always had in common.