Audrey Hepburn’s son has spoken out about Ivanka Trump’s decision to pay tribute to the Oscar-winning star with her outfit at her father’s inauguration this week.
On Monday, Donald Trump’s eldest daughter was seen attending his swearing-in ceremony in an elaborate black-and-white gown once sported by Hepburn in the film Sabrina more than 70 years earlier.
Ivanka Trump’s wardrobe choice certainly raised eyebrows in the moment, with some suggesting that the humanitarian work Hepburn did in her lifetime somewhat contradicted the Trump family’s actions.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Hepburn’s eldest son Sean Hepburn Ferrer said: ”It is no wonder that growing up in a family which knew our mother as a household name she chose to draw inspiration from her, to seek the ultimate elegance and class reference, for an occasion such as this one – the inauguration and the 32nd anniversary of our mother’s passing and, most of all, Martin Luther King’s day.”
“What a cocktail!” he quipped.
Hepburn Ferrer also claimed that his late mum’s “elegance” has long been “a reference point, an anchor, for many celebrities, actresses and models in these times in which we appear to have somewhat lost our way”.
A White House spokesperson told Page Six: “Audrey Hepburn has long been a personal inspiration to Ivanka.
“She views it as a great privilege to honour her legacy in this way, and is incredibly grateful to the team at Givenchy for bringing this moment to life.”
However, Hepburn Ferrer didn’t think his mother’s politics would align with that of the Trumps.
Pointing out that the Breakfast At Tiffany’s star “fought on behalf of the disenfranchised children worldwide regardless of the ideological environment in which they were born in” in addition to her movie career, he reportedly told the Daily Mail his mum’s beliefs would be more in keeping with Marianne Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington.
During a sermon on inauguration day, Budde made headlines when she delivered an impassioned plea to Donald Trump to “have mercy on people in our country who are scared now”.
Budde’s speech specifically made reference to the LGBTQ+ Americans, “some who fear for their lives”, as well as migrants currently living in the US.
Trump later blasted Budde’s speech, claiming she’d been “nasty” and “ungracious” .
Speaking to CNN after the sermon, Budde said she’d wanted to remind Trump of the “humanity” and “place in our wider community” of the communities he’d criticised so fervently in his latest political campaign.