London's reputation as the divorce capital of the world has flourished in the belief that its courts offer more bountiful settlements for wives – as well as relatively fast justice.
A Law Commission consultation on marital property agreements last year attributed its prominence to a landmark case in 2000, White v White, which introduced the principle that divorcing "money earners" should not necessarily retain the surplus after a parting couple's needs had been met. Instead, the residual cash should be divided equally.
"As a result of this change, English law has come to be perceived as more generous than the law elsewhere," the report acknowledged.
Among the high-profile cases to have been settled in London was that of Heather Mills, who secured £24.3m when she parted from the former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney in 2008. Orianne Cevey, the former wife of the musician Phil Collins, secured a settlement of £25m the same year.
Bernie Ecclestone is reputed to have paid out £750m in a private settlement to his ex-wife Slavica.
When Guy Ritchie divorced Madonna, he was said to have renounced any claim on his ex-wife's fortune because he is wealthy in his own right. Legal commentators suggested he could have been entitled to a significant share. The insurance broker John Charman was ordered to pay out £48m to his ex-wife in 2006.
The last major supreme court decision on divorce in 2011 – between the German heiress Katrin Radmacher and her less wealthy husband Nicolas Granatino – confirmed that prenuptial agreements are legally binding. At the time it was thought that decision could put a check on massive payouts to poorer spouses in British courts.
This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk
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