Bram van Leeuwen

Abraham "Bram" van Leeuwen, also known as Prince of Lignac (Rotterdam, 18 July 1918 – Málaga, 27 May 2001) was a Dutch businessman and high-profile millionaire.

Poor start

Van Leeuwen grew up in Rotterdam under impoverished circumstances. The humiliation that he and only just one other kid had to borrow his schoolbooks made a big impression on him. This memory was one of the reasons Van Leeuwen promised himself to become rich and successful in life. He founded NTI: Nederlands Talen Instituut, one of the first language training companies. Just before and during World War II Van Leeuwen wrote an English training course – which was in great demand at that time. To receive permission from the German occupiers to start his company he was forced to develop a German course as well. He also founded Lecturama, a Dutch publisher specialized in collecting and (re)publishing special series and popular books and doing so making these publications obtainable for the mass market. After the war Van Leeuwen continued starting companies.

Van Leeuwen sold NTI and Lecturama to the Dutch Vendex concern in the 1970s for 300 million Dutch guilders.

Lifestyle

Van Leeuwen was seen as an eccentric member of the jet set, living on board of his mega-yacht New Horizon L built by Feadship/Royal van Lent shipyard. He received many guests on board of this 60 meter long ship, where even the air-outlets are said to be solid gold. Rumors say Van Leeuwen bought the title Prince de Lignac but he always denied this and claimed he received it from a prince he met during the war. According again to Van Leeuwen his title was acknowledged by the São Paulo Aristocracy Court in 1966.