Lachlan, the Murdoch prince who would be king

A new deal gives him control of his family's media empire, including Fox News, for probably decades to come, write Katie Robertson and Michael Grynbaum from New York

- Katie Robertson and Michael Grynbaum

The question of succession has hung over Lachlan Murdoch his entire life. It has finally, definitively been answered.

The family's empire, built over more than 70 years by his father, Rupert, is his to control for probably decades to come. Thanks to a $3.3 billion deal he reached with his three oldest siblings, Lachlan Murdoch will be able to oversee the family's media business until at least 2050.

The agreement immediately cements Mr Murdoch, 54, as one of the world's most powerful men. And it means that his companies — which own Fox News, the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal, among other properties — are likely to maintain their firm conservative tilt. Keeping that ideological bent has been a top priority for his father, who has preferred his elder son as his permanent successor over the three less politically conservative siblings.

Now the global Murdoch kingdom will fall under the control of an intensely private former philosophy student, a New Yorker turned proud Australian who transplanted his family to Sydney, and a digital enthusiast who has pushed his father's analogue media business into the realms of podcasts and streaming platforms.

"It means security for the commonsense worldview critical to not only the businesses but the audiences they serve," said Col Allan, a former New York Post editor and a Rupert Murdoch confidant. "I'm delighted for Rupert and Lachlan the family dispute has been resolved."

Rupert Murdoch handed much of the oversight of his business to Lachlan in 2023 when he stepped down from his role as chair. Since then, the younger Murdoch has been the executive chair and chief executive of Fox Corp, which operates Fox News, the Fox broadcast network and Tubi. He is also the chair of News Corp, the parent company of news outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The Times of London and the New York Post and the book publisher HarperCollins.