Succession showed us the rich are largely miserable – and the Murdochs are living proof | Zoe Williams

What does Rupert's failed attempt to hand his empire to son Lachlan tell us? They'd be happier giving their money away

Rupert Murdoch has lost an epic legal battle against three of his children: he wanted to wrest control of his media empire back from them, settle it solely upon his son Lachlan in the event of his death, and thereby ... well, who knows his true motivation. Most likely to destroy, but who, and in what order, is now lost in a sealed court decision in Nevada.

Everyone is calling it the Succession trial", partly because it's about succession, partly because it sounds like an episode of the TV programme Succession, and partly because it was also inspired by one: after the death of Logan Roy (who, for readers who live in a cave, is fictional), Elisabeth Murdoch's representative, Mark Devereux, penned the Succession memo", which aimed to prevent turmoil following the mogul's death. Instead, it just brought that turmoil forward, so that it could happen while he was still alive.