Lockdown life at the Getty family’s 2,700-acre countryside estate

When I asked Sabine Getty, the svelte, glamorous 36-year-old socialite whose financier husband Joseph Getty is great-grandson of American oil tycoon John Paul Getty, where she’s most looking forward to going once lockdown restrictions are lifted, I wasn’t expecting her to say McDonald's.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of McDonald's,” she insists. “It’s definitely high on the list - that and Shake Shack. I miss good junk food.”

She’s speaking on the phone from her countryside home within Wormsley Park, the 2,700-acre estate in Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire, bought by the late Sir John Paul Getty Junior (John Paul Getty’s son) in 1985.

She has been in lockdown at Wormsley with her husband and two children, three-year-old Gene and one-year-old Jupiter, since early March. Getty prefers phone calls over Zoom or FaceTime; like many of us, she gets “self-aware and uncomfortable” seeing her own face on screen.

The family have been isolating in their house on the estate, but other members of the Getty clan aren’t far away. The estate is now owned by Sabine’s father-in-law, the founder of Getty Images. While this weekend would usually mark the opening of the six-week Garsington Opera festival, held in the deer park within the grounds of Wormsley since 2011, for now the family have the run of the place.

“We’re unbelievably lucky to be away from the city and surrounded by nature,” says Getty, who usually only spends weekends at Wormsley.

“It has totally changed our priorities as a family. My daughter, Gene, has learned so much: the names of different flowers and trees and plants and birds, just by living here and looking at what’s around. I think we will end up spending a lot more time here.”

Like most parents of young children in lockdown, the Gettys’ days follow a familiar pattern. They rise early, Getty does a 30-minute Tracey Anderson workout she discovered on YouTube - “I’d never done anything like it before in my life” - and takes the children on a walk or drive of the estate, with its multitude of wildlife. Gene has learned to identify the red kites that fly overhead and is particularly fond of a white horse called Cloud.

After lunch, afternoons are for arts and crafts, perhaps a Disney film, then early dinner and storytime. “Once I’ve put the kids to bed and had one glass of wine, I’m ready for bed myself by 8.30,” Getty admits.

Alongside 18th-century Wormsley House and its two-acre walled gardens, the estate includes a cricket ground - built after Mick Jagger introduced Sir Paul Getty to the sport - a castellated library that Getty built to house his collection of fine books and manuscripts, and a Robin Snell-designed pavilion for the Gettys’ sculpture collection. So there’s plenty of space for the various families to roam.

Her son Jupiter turned one during lockdown, and the family celebrated with a homemade cake, picnic and socially distanced visit from other family members. “It was the most perfect day,” Getty says.

It’s a change of pace from life before the coronavirus crisis, which saw Getty, who is a contributing editor for Tatler and ambassador of Italian jewellery house Bulgari, constantly juggling the demands of a busy work, social and family life. She is a regular on the front row, and was pictured alongside Nicky Hilton in high jewellery and extravagant couture on the cover of the December issue of Tatler.

“It’s a real blessing being able to wake up with the kids in the morning and put them to bed, and not to miss anything in between,” she says. “I’m usually always feeling guilty that I need to get home to see the kids and only have a small window of time to see them, but here I don’t have any of that time pressure.”

Gone too is the pressure to maintain her usual polished appearance. “I’ve worn zero make-up for three months, and I’ve actually had time for self-care: even something as simple as putting body cream on, I’d never normally take the time to do it.”

She relies on skincare by Dr Barbara Sturm, Bulgari Splendida perfume, and a five-minute DIY facial lifting massage - another YouTube discovery. But her blonde hair remains expertly coiffed. “Like a good Mediterranean woman I always have my hair done,” she jokes. “My colourist sent me my hair dye and I’ve been doing it myself - again, thank goodness for YouTube!”

Born in Geneva to a Lebanese father and Egyptian mother and educated at an elite boarding school, Getty (nee Ghanem) has always been interested in art and fashion. Having studied at the GIA in New York, in 2012 she launched her own fine jewellery line, Sabine G (later called Sabine Getty).

Her extravagant wedding in Rome five years ago was lauded as the most glamorous wedding of the year, and was rumoured to have cost £7 million.

Guests including Princess Beatrice, Julia Restoin Roitfeld and Bianca Brandolini d’Adda partook in a weekend of celebrations that included a Dangerous Liasons-themed warm-up party, with guests dressed as 18th-century Parisian aristocrats, a ceremony at the sixth-century Basilica of the Twelve Apostles, and a reception within a hall of mirrors-themed circus tent erected in the grounds of fairytale castle Castello Odescalchi.

The bride wore a custom-made Schiaparelli couture gown and hooded cape with 23-foot train. Embellished with a golden sun motif, whose 500,000 sequins were hand-embroidered by Maison Lesage, the cape had to be transported to the church in a separate car.

Her custom-made Charlotte Olympia shoes echoed the blazing sun design, while her party dress was inspired by the ostrich-feather gown that Cher wore to the Met Gala in 1974.

Such flamboyance is a far cry from Getty’s current lockdown wardrobe. “When we came here I only packed winter clothes, so I ended up buying a load of black and white Fruit of the Loom t-shirts and tank tops online. That’s all I wear, all day, every day,” she says. Her everyday extravagance is her jewellery: “I wear my little gold Bulgari hoops and my BZero1 ring every day.”

She’s taken up learning the piano, with the help of an app, and has tried her hand at baking. “I’m doing lots of painting for the kids’ bedrooms, I’m painting whatever I can find to make the place more colourful.”

Getty is aware of the privilege of her surroundings. “We’re very lucky, but the challenge for everyone is to find some little joys and motivation at this incredibly scary time,” she says. “You just feel so helpless watching it unfold on TV every night. But it’s been great to see people come together to use their expertise to help.”

She has supported the charity Action for Children, which helps families who are struggling as a result of the crisis, and has been impressed by the quick response of Bulgari.

At the beginning of the pandemic the house made a major donation to the research department of Rome’s Lazzaro Spallanzani hospital, and since March has been using its fragrance manufacturing factory to produce medical-grade hand sanitiser which it has donated to health authorities across Italy, Switzerland and the UK.

Like many, Getty’s thoughts are turning to post-lockdown escapes. “I’d love to have my feet in the sea and the sand - it’s so basic but there’s no better pleasure in life.”

While the Gettys’ vintage Art Deco yacht Talitha might remain moored for the time being, when it’s safe to do so we can expect Sabine and her family to be setting sail for sunnier shores - no doubt stopping for a Big Mac en route.

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