Scrutiny of Claims in Belle Burden’s Memoir

Belle Burden is facing criticism for assertions made in her bestselling book, “Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage.” Known for her ties to the Vanderbilt legacy, she ventured into writing with a memoir released in January. The book narrates the decline of her marriage to hedge fund executive Henry Davis. Burden details how she almost lost everything due to a prenuptial agreement she was advised against signing. However, The New Yorker suggests she may have overstated some aspects.

The publication obtained the former couple’s prenup, central to Burden’s narrative. In “Strangers,” she claims Davis demanded the prenup be altered to ensure that shared assets were divided equally in a divorce, while individual assets remained separate. This decision allegedly disadvantaged Burden, particularly after she left her legal career to raise their three children, during which Davis advanced in finance.

According to The New Yorker, when they married in 1999, Davis’s earnings were over $200,000 annually, with profit entitlements in a significant investment fund. The prenup documents revealed Burden had financial assets and trust interests totaling approximately $63 million. This included $45 million in a trust set by her late father, Carter Burden, unusable until the death of her stepmother.

Despite lacking access to that trust, Burden possessed an $8 million share in a charitable trust and other dozen-million-dollar interests. These details, verified by independent sources, indicate a secure financial standing for Burden.

The overall picture is of a person whose long-term financial security appeared guaranteed, noted The New Yorker. The prenup further included her additional interests in various trusts.

Burden has stated she used her trust funds to buy family properties, an apartment in Manhattan and a summer home in Martha’s Vineyard, putting both their names on the deeds, entitling Davis to half ownership in case of divorce. She mentioned plans to void the prenup due to Davis’s financial success and her spending of trust funds on homes, postponed in 2019 only for an affair to be revealed in 2020.

Public records noted Burden paid nearly $4 million for the Tribeca apartment and $5.4 million for the Martha’s Vineyard home, each with significant mortgages.

Throughout “Strangers,” Burden conveys her fear of losing family properties due to the prenup, aware of her comparative privilege in such situations yet feeling vulnerable due to her ex-husband’s demands.

In the divorce settlement, documents reveal that Burden was the beneficiary of multiple trusts and had significant independent investments, exceeding $10 million in value. While her children were a major concern, Margaret Ryznar, a law expert, emphasized that custodial parents typically retain homes until children reach adulthood, minimizing risk despite prenuptial concerns.

The divorce settlement, viewed by The New Yorker, granted Burden a favorable outcome, with Davis relinquishing claims on properties and contributing $50,000 monthly in child support and covering additional costs.

In a statement responding to criticism, Burden affirmed her account in the memoir, acknowledging privilege and emphasizing her aim to inspire transparency in marital finances through her experiences.