De Villiers Sr, however, declared himself a huge fan of his host and promised to help “promote the history of Crimea as a part of the long history of Russia” by building one of the two proposed parks in the region.
The younger De Villiers has focused on business rather than politics, but he did play a part in one of the more controversial episodes in Puy du Fou’s history.
A Puy du Fou spokesperson said the company was not alone in having explored investment in Russia at the time, but had been “caught off guard by the rapid deterioration of the geopolitical situation in Russia and Crimea”.
At the funeral last month of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France’s National Front party, De Villiers sat among the most prominent guests, who also included his longtime associate and friend, the far-right presidential candidate Éric Zemmour.
Defending civilisation appears to have left De Villiers less time for Puy du Fou.
