Estate of Denial:  France’s richest woman threatened to emigrate today after a judge ruled that she was ‘mentally unfit’ to manage her £15 billion fortune.

Liliane Bettencourt, who inherited the L’Oreal cosmetics fortune, was told that she had dementia and Alzheimer’s and is no longer well enough to run her business affairs.

In turn, the 88-year-old said she was fine, and accused her daughter of plotting against her to try and wrestle control of one of the most successful companies in the world.

Mrs Bettencourt, who turns 89 on Friday, is also suspicious of France’s judicial authorities who are investigating her for allegedly giving brown envelopes full of cash to leading politicians in return for tax breaks.