Princess Lida of Thurn and Taxis

Lida, Princess Victor of Thurn and Taxis (née Lida Eleanor Nicolls; July 28, 1875 – December 6, 1965), also styled as Princess Lida of Thurn and Taxis, was an American millionairess, socialite, and the wife of Prince Victor of Thurn and Taxis. She was well known for her involvement in several highly publicized legal disputes, making her a fixture in newspapers such as The New York Times. and the second was with Bernard Francis S. Gregory, who sued her for $50,000, alleging she had slandered him.

In 1906, she obtained a divorce from Fitzgerald in Irish courts. In Pittsburgh, Lida was awarded an alimony settlement of $20,000 per year and $300,000 in trust for two sons from the marriage, John Fitzgerald and Gerald Purcell Fitzgerald Jr. The robbery was thought to have been committed by "a gang of international sharpers" who were staying at the same hotel as Lida. He returned to New York City on September 1, 1912 aboard the American oceanliner SS St. Louis from Southampton. The investigation found that the three gentlemen had formed a "gang of smart hotel thieves" and had intentionally taken rooms near those of Lida intending to take an amount of jewelry valued between $1 and $1.5 million.

On January 31, 1914, Lida's solicitor applied for and obtained an issue of writ in the Court of Chancery asking for an injunction against Moffitt to restrain her from using the title "Princess of Thurn and Taxis" and from referring to herself as the wife of Prince Victor of Thurn and Taxis. The Court of Chancery also ruled that Lida, and not Moffitt, was entitled to the title "Princess Victor of Thurn and Taxis".

Slander dispute with Bernard Francis S. Gregory Following the outbreak of World War I, Lida's husband Prince Victor was called to serve as an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army causing Lida to return to the United States. She claimed the trustees had been negligent in collecting the money and interest of the trust funds which totalled $772,779. s:Princess Lida of Thurn and Taxis v. Thompson

She was later also entangled in a lengthy court battle in which she attempted to have the marriage of one of her adult sons annulled.

Death and estate settlement Following several years of hospitalization, she died in New York City at the age of 90 on December 6, 1965, intestate. In November 1972, Judge James A. Reilly issued a decree, which approved the final accounting of Lida's million-dollar estate and ordered that it be divided between her two surviving sons: Gerald Purcell Fitzgerald Jr. of New York City and Edward Purcell Fitzgerald of Titusville, New Jersey. At its final accounting, Lida's estate totaled $1,288,123.40, leaving a balance of $659,333.31 after taxes. Her possessions included residences, properties, cash, stocks and bonds, valuable antique furniture, Venetian glass, paintings and statuary, china, porcelain, silver, and two wardrobes full of fur coats. Many of Lida's valuables were stored for years in a downtown Uniontown warehouse and some had been in storage in a London warehouse since the closing of her home there in 1914. Most of the valuables were sold at auction in 1966.