Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle is spotted in the Big Apple as his family gathers for funeral of mother Ivana: Mourners lay flowers and leave notes outside building ahead of Wednesday wake
- Kimberly Guilfoyle was spotted in NYC on Tuesday, ahead of Ivana Trump’s funeral
- Her fiancé, Donald Trump Jr., will lay his mother, 73, to rest Wednesday at Catholic memorial service
- Mourners left flowers and heartfelt notes outside Ivana’s Upper East Side townhouse on Tuesday
- City workers were seen placing barricades around the property, ahead of the upcoming wake and memorial
- Ivana died on July 14 after falling down the stairs at her residence and suffering ‘blunt impact injuries’
Loved ones are visiting Ivana Trump’s New York City townhouse to pay their respects ahead of her funeral.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., traveled to the Big Apple on Tuesday to be with her family as they mourn the loss of the Trump family matriarch.
Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show Guilfoyle, sporting a black dress and Louis Vuitton tote bag, hailing a taxi in Manhattan before heading to the luxurious Loews Hotel on Park Avenue. The former Fox News personality was engaged in a phone conversation and was seen covering her mouth as she walked the city streets.
Her soon-to-be mother-in-law, Ivana, died last week at age 73 after falling down the stairs at her Upper East Side home. Mourners dropped off flowers and thoughtful notes outside the residence on Tuesday as city workers put up barricades ahead of the socialite’s memorial.
Ivana, the first wife of former President Donald Trump, will be memorialized in a ‘Celebration of Life’ on Wednesday at an ornate Catholic Church close to where she lived.
Donald Trump’s current wife, Melania Trump, will not be present at Ivana’s funeral, a family source has said. It’s not known whether the ex-president will attend.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., traveled to the Big Apple on Tuesday to be with her family as they mourn loss of Ivana Trump
Guilfoyle, sporting a black dress and Louis Vuitton tote bag, appeared engaged in a phone conversation. At one point during the call she was spotted covering her mouth
Guilfoyle is seen hailing a taxi in Manhattan before heading to the luxurious Loewes Hotel on Park Avenue
Mourners dropped off flowers and thoughtful notes outside Ivana Trump’s Upper East Side townhouse on Tuesday
One note thanked Ivana for all her ‘contributions to New York’ and issued support to her ex-husband’s possible 2024 presidential campaign – which has not yet been confirmed
City workers are pictured putting up barricades ahead of the socialite’s Wednesday memorial service
Ivana Trump is pictured on June 22 as she ventures out for a hair appointment
Ivana, who died on July 14 after suffering ‘blunt impact injuries’ during her fall, will be memorialized on Wednesday during a service at St Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church on Lexington Avenue.
Proceedings are set to begin at 1.30pm, according to an invitation obtained by the New York Post, which featured a glamorous photo of a young Ivana, once a competitive skier, hitting the slopes.
The invitation also requested that instead of flowers, mourners make donations to the Big Dog Rescue.
Ivana’s three children – Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump – all plan to attend her funeral, a family source confirmed. It is unclear if their father, ex-president Donald Trump, will be joining them.
He and Melania arrived at their old Manhattan residence in Trump Tower on Monday. The former first couple had relocated to Palm Beach, Florida, after leaving the White House early last year.
The real estate mogul is ‘very upset’ about Ivana’s passing, an insider told the Post: ‘Donald talked to her regularly and sent flowers on every birthday and other occasions.’
The source added that if he does opt to attend his ex-wife’s funeral, he would be doing so without Melania.
Flowers are delivered to Ivana Trump’s NYC residence on Tuesday
Flowers have also been left outside the building by those looking to pay tribute to her
Flowers are left at the home of Ivana Trump’s home in New York City on Tuesday
People gather outside of Ivana Trump’s house in New York City on Tuesday
Ivana Trump is pictured leaving her townhouse with an aide on June 22
Barricades are put up outside Ivana Trump’s home ahead of her funeral on Wednesday
Donald and Ivana’s children have all publicly expressed their heartbreak over the loss of their mother.
Eric, 38, shared a heartwarming tribute with Dailymail.com – penned by himself, Ivanka and Don Jr – hours after Ivana’s passing, which remembered her as an ‘incredible woman’ who was ‘a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend’.
The joint statement recalled the businesswoman’s tough upbringing behind the Iron Curtain and incredible journey to the US, having fled communism in Czechoslovakia before moving to Canada and then New York City.
They said she ‘taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion and determination’ and said she will be ‘dearly missed’.
He has also been traveling to his mother’s home regularly since her death on Thursday and was spotted leaving the property on Monday with a black plastic bag. It is unclear if the family has removed any sentimental items belonging to Ivana from the property since her death.
Ivanka, 40, also paid tribute to their mother, calling her ‘bold’ and saying she was always prepared to do what was necessary.
She called her ‘The Person to go to. If need be she’d act as the housekeeper. And did. Be the one to wash the dishes — and did.’
‘Wicked. Vim. Vigor. She brought joy and self-confidence’ her daughter said when asked to describe her mother.
She also spoke about her mother’s time as a powerful member of Donald’s real estate empire, recalling ‘when they owned The Plaza Hotel, it wasn’t all comportment and grace. I would come from school and she’d let me run with her through the halls. I’d follow her.’
Her daughter also touched on Ivana’s love of finer things in life, saying ‘she loved the fine things and would criticize what she thought wasn’t.’
Eric Trump has been traveling to his mother’s home regularly since her death on Thursday, with floral tributes and notes being left outside of her home
Pictured together at his wedding, Eric looked emotional has he paid tribute to his mother last week. He praised her for teaching him and his siblings ‘ about grit and toughness, compassion and determination’
He told how she ‘taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion and determination’ in her children and said she will be ‘dearly missed’
Ivanka paid moving tribute to her ‘brilliant, charming, passionate and wickedly funny’ mother
One of the photographs Ivanka shared was of the pair skiing with a hot air balloon in the background. It’s not clear where the photo was taken
A memorial photo posted on Instagram by Donald Jr (left) shows mother Ivana (second from left) alongside children Ivanka (second from right) and Eric Trump (right) in 2011
Donald Jr., 44, and Guilfoyle paid tribute to Ivana on Instagram Friday night. He said: ‘I am who I am today because of you. Thanks for always pushing us hard, not letting us get away with anything, and instilling so many incredible values and personality traits.
Guilfoyle, 53, declared Ivana the ’embodiment of the American Dream’ and applauded applauding her for her professional successes, as well as being a ‘devoted and loving mother.’
‘Ivana Trump was a successful businesswoman, a remarkable athlete, & most notably, a devoted & loving mother to @DonaldJTrumpJr, @IvankaTrump, & @EricTrump,’ she wrote.
‘She was the embodiment of the American Dream. It was an honor to know her & to love her. We will all miss her so much.’
Guilfoyle and Donald Jr. have been dating since 2018 and got engaged on New Year’s Eve 2020. DailyMail.com broke the news of their engagement in January after insiders confirmed the couple had kept it under wraps for over a year.
The pair had been friends for over 15 years and the Trump family is reportedly a ‘big fan’ of Guilfoyle. She was also named the National Finance Chair of the Trump Victory Finance Committee in 2020.
Former President Donald Trump was seen returning to his old New York City residence on Monday, days before ex-wife Ivana’s funeral service
The former first lady was also in NYC on Monday, but is not expected to attend Ivana’s memorial
Donald Jr., 44, and Guilfoyle paid tribute Ivana on Instagram Friday night. They have been dating since 2018 and got engaged on New Year’s Eve 2020. The couple is pictured together on NYE 2021
Donald and Ivana Trump married in 1977 and shared three children together before divorcing in 1992
She is pictured in a 2000 photo alongside Czech skier George Syrovatka in Jay Peak, Vermont
The funeral invitation is said to feature an image of Ivana in glamorous ski gear. She is pictured on the slopes of St-Moritz, Switzerland in 1997 wearing a shiny silver jacket and a smart fur hat
Ivana was born in the Czech city of Zlin in 1949, to electrical engineer father Miloš Zelníček and telephone operator mom Marie Zelníčková.
She was a prodigious skier. It was that talent – encouraged by her father – that proved the key to her escape from the gloom of Communist life behind the Iron Curtain in 1971.
She was briefly married to Austrian ski instructor Alfred Winklmayr, a friend, with whom she tied the knot to gain an Austrian passport – and a one-way ticket to the West. They divorced after less than two years.
Ivana herself worked as a ski instructor in Montreal in the early-1970s.
She settled in Canada before she moved to New York City to be with Donald, whom she was married to from 1977 to 1992.
Ivana recounted in her memoir how Donald secured her and her friends a table at a hot Manhattan restaurant, paid the check and chauffeured her back to her hotel in a Cadillac.
‘My instincts told me that Donald was smart and funny – an all-American good guy,’ she wrote in her 2017 memoir ‘Raising Trump.’
That encounter helped propel Ivana to a life of unimaginable wealth and luxury – although she used her famed work ethic to turn her $14 million divorce settlement from Donald into an even greater fortune.
Rather than rest on her laurels during the Trumps’ tempestuous 15 year marriage, Ivana worked as executive vice president of interior design at the then property mogul’s businesses. That included overseeing the décor at Trump Tower in Manhattan – including its famed pink marble interior.
Ivana also oversaw construction of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in NYC, as well as the Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic city. She later became the manager of New York City’s iconic Plaza Hotel after Donald bought the Central Park South property in 1988.
Eric and Lara Trump share a lunch date with Ivana Trump
Ivana Trump (left) and Melania Trump (right) publicly feuded while Donald Trump (center) held office as president of the United States. The three are pictured together with Ivana’s fourth husband Rossano Rubicondi (left) in September 2002
Ivana’s relationship with Donald Trump ended in havoc in 1990 after the future president cheated on her with Marla Maples, who would go on to be his second wife. Ivana, though, would get $14 million in the divorce settlement. She is pictured here with Donald Trump in September 1984
At the height of their relationship, the two were business partners, working on some major projects like development of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the renovation of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City and the construction of the Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
But by 1989, there started to be some trouble in paradise for the couple – as they were observed fighting while on vacation in Aspen, Colorado, after Ivana discovered that Donald was having an affair with Marla Maples – who would go on to be his second wife.
When Ivana’s marriage to Donald imploded in 1990, she was able to leverage a pre-nuptial agreement that had been updated four times during their marriage, to secure what was then one of the biggest divorce settlements in history.
She pocketed a cool $14 million after the split was finalized in 1992.
As well as that lump sum, Ivana was also given a 45-room Connecticut mansion and an apartment at Trump’s New York Trump Plaza apartment complex.
She went on to sell the Connecticut mansion for $15 million in 1998, almost doubling her assets at a stroke.
At the time of Ivana’s death, her fortune sat at an estimated $100 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Ivana and Donald Trump are toasting with champagne from a NYC rooftop
Donald and Ivana Trump are pictured embracing each other at their Connecticut mansion
Ivana stands proudly as Ivanka displays a pearl necklace she likely received as a gift from her parents
Despite the couple’s torrid divorce, Donald and Ivana reunited for a pithy Pizza Hut advert in 1995 which mocked their own relationship.
The commercial saw the pair pretend to flirt on screen while implying that getting back together would be ‘wrong’. They then revealed that they were actually discussing eating pizza crust-first.
That advert typified Ivana’s need to work, as she sought to build her own career, rather than just fritter away her divorce settlement.
She designed multiple fashion lines inspired by her famously glitzy taste in clothes and jewels, which were sold on TV channels the Home Shopping Network and QVC.
Recognizing the power of her image, Ivana would herself appear on TV to sell her wares to viewers.
The secret of her success was to make fans feel as if a purchase from one of her lines would help give them a foothold into an enviable lifestyle like hers.
The pinnacle of Ivana’s career as a fashion plate came in 1995, when she opened the House of Ivana fashion and fragrance company on New York’s Park Avenue.
In 1998, Ivana dabbled in the world of media, acquiring a stake in Croatia’s Slobodna Dalmacija newspaper, which was later sold as the publication’s fortunes declined.
She dabbled in property development, but enjoyed her most consistent success by marketing her own image.
Ivana published multiple autobiographical tomes, including For Love Alone and Free To Love.
She also penned a 1995 self-help book called The Best Is Yet To come, and even turned her attention to an agony aunt column.
It was called ‘Ask Ivana’ and ran in Globe for an impressive 15 years, from 1995 to 2010.
During her later years, Ivana largely dropped out of the spotlight. In 2017 she published Raising Trump, the definitive account of her marriage to the then-newly elected president.
The tome also focused on Ivana’s relationship with the couple’s three children; Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric.
Troves of photos discovered by a South Florida collector back in 2014 detail the private life of Ivana Trump. Ivana (right) is pictured with her then-husband Donald (left) and their infant daughter, Ivanka (center)
Ivana lounging in what looks like Mar-a-Lago, just a breeze from Florida’s beach on the Atlantic
Ivana, Donald, Eric and Ivanka, at Mar-a-Lago in 1998
In a memorial post to his social media app Truth Social, Donald described Ivana as a ‘wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman’.
She had also said she shared a close relationship with her ex-husband, which apparently included a direct number to the White House she didn’t use because she didn’t want to cause any issues between Donald and Melania, 52.
Ivana said very little about Melania’s role in their lives, though she once admitted her daughter, Ivanka, likes her father’s third wife ‘fine’.
Rumors started flying about Ivana’s apparent distaste for Melania in 2017, when she publicly declared herself the actual first lady.
‘Melania is there and I don’t want to cause any kind of jealousy or anything like that because I’m the first Trump wife. I’m the first lady, OK?’ Ivana said during a ‘Good Morning America’ interview in October 2017.
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