Tamara Ecclestone, ever heard the phrase “God lies in the details”? Well, in her case, so does the money. A new investigative podcast by the Daily Mail, Heists, Scams and Lies: The Hunt for Tamara Ecclestone’s Missing Diamonds, has revealed that overlooking the fine print can cost even the ultra-wealthy dearly.
In 2019, while the F1 heiress and her husband Jay Rutland were enjoying a holiday in Lapland, international jewel thieves ransacked their lavish $94 million Kensington mansion. They took nearly $31 million worth of priceless gems, watches, and cash.
But the real sting came later: the couple couldn’t claim a single penny from their insurance. Despite the home being insured, the policy included an exemption clause for watches and jewelry, one that they had apparently overlooked. As a result, their total claim amounted to just $50,000–$60,000, barely enough to cover the cost of replacing the 25 to 30 doors the thieves had smashed through.
The 57-room estate, fitted with 24-hour security patrols and high-end surveillance systems, proved no match for the criminals, who spent nearly an hour rummaging through the home. The mansion is known for its extravagant features, including a gold-plated bathtub, a grand piano, and a $13,000 custom playhouse built for their daughter, Sophia.
Photos released by the Daily Mail showed rows of diamond-studded bangles, bracelets, necklaces, and watches, all gone. Among the stolen timepieces were multiple Rolexes, several Audemars Piguet watches, and even a Bulgari Serpenti. Some pieces carried sentimental value, such as a bracelet Jay gifted Tamara to celebrate Sophia’s birth. As Rutland recounted on the podcast:
“Our total insurance claim was, I think, 40 grand or 45 grand, something like that, which was for the doors in the house because [the burglars] literally smashed down about 25 or 30 doors. Every door to every room was locked. So they had to crowbar each door open. We claimed on the insurance for those doors to be replaced, but that was it. Nothing else was insured.”
It’s heartbreaking to lose not just irreplaceable jewels but also the means to recover them. But perhaps, for someone like Tamara, taking a dip in her $1.5 million rose quartz bathtub, hand-carved in Italy by design house Baldi, might offer a touch of solace.
