Very little is known about Melania Trump’s older sister, Ines Knauss. She was nowhere to be seen on President Donald Trump’s campaign trail, but then again, Melania did not stay with her husband Donald for most of the campaign trail either. Although her Twitter account is private, she publicly posts on her Facebook page.
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Over the past several months, Ines Knauss has revealed several old photos. There are very few of Ines herself; one of the only photos of Ines is depicted above, shown in a white strapless dress with Louisa Beccaria. She proudly states that she even did her own makeup in the photo.
Many of the photos Ines has posted on social media depict a younger Melania Trump. The photos that talk about or show Melania, Ines simply refers to her sister as “M.”
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Both Ines and Melania were born and raised in the small town of Sevnica, located in the western half of Slovenia. As young adults, Ines and Melania attended a university in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where they both studied fashion. They moved together to Milan, Spain, in attempts to break into the fashion world there.
Although both Ines and Melania modeled, Ines primarily focused on her skills as a fashion designer in hopes of making it big. When they moved to Spain, they changed their last name Knavs to hide their Eastern European descent, and selected the similar Germanic-sounding last name of Knauss.
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Above shows a sketch by Ines Knauss from 1989. She comments on her post saying, “U remember my #fashion exhibition in iDCO Ljubljana the following year?” Although Ines never became famous in the fashion design world, she lives in a $2 million one-bedroom apartment, merely two blocks away from Melania Trump on Park Avenue in Manhattan. Known only by public records, her apartment is reportedly owned by the Trump Organization.
Although not many people are quoted that have actually met the mysterious Ines Knauss, the photographer that took nude photographs of Melania Trump, Ale de Basseville, also shot photos of Ines in the 1990s. According to the New York Post , Ale de Basseville talked about Ines saying, “She really wanted to be in fashion but didn’t know how to break in. Ines wasn’t like the other girls you would meet there, who behave like queens. She was really polite and very mellow.”
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Ines Knauss also shows a few throwback photos of her older sister Melania, including the picture above. In this photo, Melania is held by her mother. The photo dates back to 1972.
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Ines Knauss wished her younger sister Melania Trump a happy birthday last year on April 26, with the photo above. The photo depicts a young Melania as a toddler, with a birthday cake and a single candle.
Ines also has several comments from the election season, many of which lash out at the media. She was particularly sarcastic when news of their half-brother was revealed. As if she had no idea, her comment states, “did not know! till reading this right now.” Ines and Melania, however, both knew of their half-brother’s existence but the sisters have never met him before. On the same subject, Melania Trump stated simply that she just wished to protect her father’s privacy during the presidential election.
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Throughout Melania’s life, Ines has stood fiercely by her side. From Slovenia to Milan and then New York, Ines has stuck by her younger sister’s side through the birth of Melania’s son, Barron, and through the muddy campaign trail. Ines defended lies thrown at her sister during the election season and will certainly stay close to Melania during her journey as the new first lady.
[Featured Image by Pool/Getty Images]