Meet Melania's secret sister: First Lady's 'guiding light' who hasn't been seen in 20 years

She's the pistillate Melania Trump has credited arsenic her 'guiding airy and inspiration,' who has been astatine her broadside for decades, yet she hasn't been pictured successful nationalist for 20 years.

Introducing Ines Knauss, Melania's older sister, astir whom precise small is known, but for the cardinal spot she holds successful the incoming archetypal family's hearts.

Knauss, 56, has lone ever graced the pages of newspapers successful passing. She wasn't pictured astatine her parent Amalija's ceremonial successful January of past twelvemonth oregon astatine her brother-in-law Donald's archetypal inauguration successful 2016.

Yet sources archer the Daily Mail that she is an ever-present root of comfortableness and proposal to Melania, 54, and her nephew Barron, 18.

Now, the Daily Mail tin exclusively uncover much details of Knauss's beingness from interviews with those who cognize her, a reappraisal of Melania's writings and an probe of Knauss' suspected societal media accounts.

'Melania and Ines are precise adjacent and since Melania's parent died, Ines and their begetter are astir apt the 2 radical Melania trusts the most,' an insider acquainted with the archetypal lady's reasoning told the Mail.

Melania mentions her sister by sanction 30 times successful her eponymous biography, published successful July. She praises her arsenic 'awe-inspiring' and describes the 'close bond' they formed arsenic children that blossomed successful adulthood.

At Melania's wedding to Donald successful 2005, Knauss was her younger sister's maid of honor.

That's wherever Italian decorator Luisa Bonaccorsi met Knauss for the archetypal time. At a 2nd brushwood successful New York, Bonaccorsi, who has been friends with Melania for 25 years, said she recovered Knauss 'really lovely... and yes, she was precise private.'

It was Ale de Basseville, a Paris-based lensman who took pictures of Melania for a French men's mag erstwhile the aboriginal archetypal woman was surviving successful New York successful the mid-1990s, who had a somewhat antithetic impression.

He met Knauss arsenic she was trying to interruption into the manner industry. 'Ines wasn't similar the different girls you would conscionable there, who behave similar queens,' helium said successful 2017. 'She was truly polite and precise mellow.'

Melania's erstwhile elder adjutant Stephanie Winston-Wolkoff, who helped program Trump's archetypal inauguration, has besides shared her impressions of the enigmatic Knauss, though she has been acold little charitable than others.

'I person met... Ines, but adjacent upon menace of death, I couldn't retrieve a happening astir her,' wrote Winston-Wolkoff successful her memoir, Melania and Me, published successful 2020.

'I've heard she is simply a homebody,' she wrote. 'She flies truthful acold beneath the radar, galore radical are amazed to larn that Melania has a sister astatine all.'

Despite Knauss's debased nationalist profile, she does look to person aggregate progressive societal media accounts.

Daily Mail attempted to scope Knauss to corroborate the authenticity of the online profiles but has yet to person a reply. The Mail has besides reached retired to Melania Trump's representatives for comment. They person not responded.

A Facebook illustration appearing beryllium to Knauss, which is followed by Melania's authoritative Facebook page, shares puerility photos of Knauss and Melania.

One black-and-white household photograph is captioned: 'mom, 22, from 1967 #pregnant w/ me', different of a young pistillate that appears to beryllium Knauss successful beforehand of the Eiffel Tower is captioned 'I 22 successful Paris 1990'.

The relationship besides features photos of Knauss' nephew Barron - galore of which amusement him arsenic a kid successful a azygous being picked up from schoolhouse oregon playing successful his playroom successful Trump tower.

Another bonzer station connected December 2024 purports to amusement a 2009 email sent to Knauss from her sister, successful which Melania asks Knauss to assistance her capable retired a questionnaire from Barron's simple schoolhouse that requests a database of his strengths and needs.

In the email, Knauss replies with a lengthy recitation of Barron's skills and attributes, stating that helium is 'brilliant universaly [sic] unique, communicative, active, perfect'.

Writing successful her sister's voice, Knauss continues, 'I would similar you to marque the hours successful schoolhouse for my kid attractive, amusive and interesting... helium is my champion and astir precious child, lad with enormous, unlimited potential, 1 and only, Barron William Trump.'

On an X (formerly Twitter) relationship established successful Knauss's sanction and followed by Melania's authoritative X relationship - 1 of lone 58 accounts the archetypal woman follows – determination is immoderate antithetic content.

The relationship has retweeted posts which notation to Barron arsenic a fig who volition pb a 'new Atlantis into the Golden Age' arsenic good arsenic missives claiming 'extraterrestrials and terrestrials person been messing with time.'

The meaning of those unusual posts is ambiguous – but what does travel done large and wide is simply a heavy loyalty to family.

Immigration lawyer Michael Wildes has known some Knauss and Melania for galore years. He told the Mail that Knauss is simply a 'fine person,' 'extraordinarily talented' and a dedicated sister and aunt.

Wildes was hired by Knauss to record her applications for her impermanent enactment visas and yet her Green Card. He diminution erstwhile asked to supply a timeline of Knauss support process.

'They're a precise adjacent family,' said Wildes, a spouse astatine Wildes & Weinberg P.C, 'Family ranks highly extremely for Mrs Trump, too. [Melania] doted connected her parents portion her parent was live and dotes connected her sister too.'

In turn, helium said, Knauss 'is a precise arrogant aunt [to Barron] and overmuch loved and appreciated.'

Both women, helium added, are 'very elegant successful the mode they dainty their friends and highly humble which is truly refreshing to see.'

It's unclear erstwhile Knauss yet settled successful New York City but since 2015 she has lived successful a reportedly $1.5 cardinal flat held by The Donald J Trump Revocable Trust.

The gathering is besides a Trump spot that the developer bought for $115 cardinal successful 2001 and past renovated with an further $100 cardinal investment.

The opulent 1920s skyscraper with a striking lobby featuring double-height coffered ceilings, wood-panelling and checkered marble floors was location to Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka, 43, and hubby Jared Kushner, 44, earlier the mates decamped to Washington DC successful 2021. They present unrecorded successful Miami.

Knauss besides seems to walk a bully woody of clip successful Palm Beach and is simply a predominant visitant astatine Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.

No doubt, her beingness contiguous is simply a satellite distant from her idyllic puerility successful Slovenia. She and Melania were raised successful the tiny municipality of Sevnica, connected the banks of the Sava River, successful the country's east.

Writing successful her memoir, Melania described the ambiance successful the three-bedroom flat successful which she, her sister and her parents lived arsenic 'vibrant and lively.'

The town, she writes, was 'a storybook mounting for a blessed upbringing.'

Their mother, Amalija, was a patternmaker for a manner company, and their father, Viktor sold car parts. Despite their comparatively humble trades the mates could spend a backstage nanny to attraction for their daughters.

Their nanny, according to Melania's memoir, baked them delicious cakes, their begetter taught them to play tennis, and they thrived astatine school.

Knauss excelled, Melania writes: 'Her creator talents were evident from a young age, arsenic she effortlessly created beauteous works of art. Ines was an fantabulous communicator with a vibrant vigor that drew radical toward her, making friends with ease.'

They are lone 2 years isolated successful property and they shared akin interests, staying up precocious together, listening to euphony connected their grounds subordinate and discussing the 'latest trends.' They loved the Bee Gees and Pink Floyd and watched euphony videos connected MTV.

Knauss near location to spell to the Secondary School for Design and Photography successful the Capitol metropolis of Ljubljana astatine 15, surviving unsocial successful an flat their parents bought for her.

The schoolhouse was 'fiercely competitive,' according to Melania, but 2 years aboriginal she excessively passed the entranceway exam and went to unrecorded with her sister successful the flat.

Reflecting connected that clip Melania wrote, 'Ines was much than conscionable a sister to me; she was a guiding airy who illuminated my way and inspired maine to scope for the stars.'

They travelled unneurotic for Melania's modelling and for concerts. One of Melania's astir abiding memories was 1 shared with her sister astatine Elton John's European Express Tour, connected April 19, 1984. She was conscionable shy of 14 years old, Knauss was 16, and their parents drove the excited girls to the arena successful Zagreb.

In 1992, Knauss started studying astatine the Academy of Fine Arts astatine Edward Kardelj University successful Ljubljana.

It is astir this clip that Melania credits Knauss with making the proposition that would alteration her life.

'Ines…told maine astir a Slovenian modelling contention called the 'Look of the Year,' organized by Jana magazine. The victor would unafraid a modelling declaration with Metropolitan Model Agency, a prestigious Paris-based agency.

'Ines urged maine to taxable my photos. 'No 1 looks similar you,' she said.'

Melanie submitted her photos and rapidly received an invitation to instrumentality part. She didn't triumph but came successful 2nd and secured a declaration with Milan based agency, RVR. She was 22 years old.

Now that Melania is erstwhile again stepping firmly backmost into the spotlight sources archer the Mail that she volition beryllium depending connected her sister for her counsel and support.

With their parent gone, it is Knauss who is expected to beryllium Melania's go-to confidante. Whether that volition propulsion Knauss to pb a much nationalist beingness remains to beryllium seen.

In the meantime, she volition beryllium a fig to look for successful the crowds astatine the inauguration. It whitethorn connection a accidental for her archetypal sighting successful 20 years.