On the face of it, the tweet was as simple as could be. Sent on Father's Day, it read: "I love all my kids so much." But two things set it apart. First, the sender - Elon Musk - is in the process of buying Twitter for £36bn. And secondly, one of those children has declared a wish not to be "related to my biological father in any way, shape or form".

The child in question has just applied to a Californian court for a change of name from Xavier Alexander Musk to Vivian Jenna Wilson, and to be recognised as a woman rather than a man. The request has created renewed interest in the very complicated private life of the world's richest person.

Musk married his first wifeThe two met at Queen's University in Ontario., Canadian writer Justine Wilson, in 2000. He was 29. After the death of their first child at the age of 10 weeks, they decided to use IVFIn vitro fertilisation is a technique used to help people with fertility issues have a baby. to continue their family.

They went on to have twins, Xavier and Griffin, and then triplets - Damian, Kai and Saxon. But in 2008 the couple divorced. Wilson accused Musk of trying to turn her into a trophy wifeA glamorous woman married by a successful man to impress others., even insisting that she dye her hair blonde.

Eight weeks after the divorce, he became engaged to the English actress Talulah RileyHer films include Pride and Prejudice and The Boat That Rocked. Her father was the head of the National Crime Squad in the UK.. He married Riley in 2010, only to divorce her in 2012. He then remarried her in 2013 - and redivorced her again in 2016.

After dating Amber HeardMusk went out with her for several months and says that he was heartbroken when she left him. for several months, he began a relationship with the Canadian musician GrimesHer real name is Claire Elise Boucher.. In 2020 she gave birth to a son called X Æ A-XiiX is his first name and Æ A-Xii is his middle name. They originally wanted to call him X Æ A-12, but were told that numbers were not allowed by Californian law.     . Then, last December, they had a daughter - via a surrogate mother - called Exa Dark SideralShe is known as Y for short.. That same month, Musk confirmed that he and Grimes had separated.

In an interview, Musk told Neil Strauss of Rolling Stone that a desperate need for company made him rush from one relationship into another.

"If I'm not in love, if I'm not with a long-term companion, I cannot be happy... Being in a big empty house, and the footsteps echoing through the hallway, no one there... How do you make yourself happy in a situation like that?"

His emotional difficulties seem to stem from his childhood in South Africa. Both his parents, Errol and Maye, were busy professionalsErrol was an engineer and Maye a dietitian and model. and he saw little of them. "When I was a child, there's one thing I said: 'I never want to be alone'... I was raised by books. Books, and then my parents."

When he was eight, his parents split up. His younger brother and sister stayed with their mother, but he decided to live with his father. "He seemed very sad and lonely by himself. So I thought, 'I can be company'... But I didn't really understand at the time what kind of person he was."

The decision proved disastrous. Though he was not physically abused by Errol, he was psychologically tormented. "He was such a terrible human being. You have no idea... Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done."

As an adult, he broke off his relationship with his father - setting an example for the next generation, "In my experience, there is nothing you can do. Nothing, nothing. I wish. I've tried everything."

Yes: You are far more likely to be happy if you are a success than if you are a failure. You are freed from the financial worries that weigh others down and can take pride in your achievements.

No: Success like Musk's demands an obsession with work - he has said he would stop eating if he could, to make more time for business. Personal relationships inevitably suffer as a result.  

Or... Success should not just be seen in terms of money or a career. Someone who brings up a well-adjusted family deserves just as much admiration as an entrepreneurial tycoon like Musk.